Chapter 126: Beris and Kuzan (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 126: Beris and Kuzan (1)
Two beams of mana pierced through the horses. Though the animals died instantly, the group landed without injury, tucking into rolls thanks to Jin’s quick warning.
“Ahhh! What in the world is happening now?!”
“It seems to be them.”
They quickly assumed defensive positions, but the next attack didn’t come. Instead, two figures slowly emerged from the thicket.
A woman and a man. They were young, likely still in their twenties.
As soon as Den saw their faces, his complexion turned ashen.
“Y-you two…”
“Ah, Brother Den. My, my! How did you know we were coming? You even hired guards. You’re sharper than I thought.”
The woman spoke first. She was taller than the man beside her, and her sharp features were filled with a playfulness that didn't suit the situation. She clearly assumed Jin and Jet were merely Den’s hired guards.
“Beris…!”
When Den called her name, the woman grinned.
She was currently gathering a sphere of wind in her palm—the very same 8-star mage who had been slaughtering the survivors of the Moon’s Sacrifice.
She can’t be more than thirty, yet she’s at least an 8-star mage? And she’s not even a Zipple.
Jin was shocked by her youth. It was also startling that a genius of her caliber was someone he had never even heard of.
“Heehee. Kuzan, what do you think? How did Den know we were killing our siblings? Well, we can just turn Brother Den into minced meat and ask those guys, right?”
“There’s no way that dullard knew in advance. Those men must have been investigating us. They likely realized we started the hunt today. Beris, stay sharp. That hooded one doesn't seem ordinary.”
“Oh, come on. ‘Stay sharp’? That’s going too far! Do you think it’s that easy to find an opponent who can make us nervous? Honestly, Kuzan, you’re too cautious. That’s why you’re not popular.”
Beris Marius and Kuzan Marius.
They were the youngest and strongest of the hunting dogs from the Moon’s Sacrifice.
Jet glared at them, his body tense, while Den held his daughter with trembling hands.
“Beris and Kuzan, is it? I was wondering what kind of bastards were ruining my work. Nice to meet you.”
As Jin coated Bradamante in Aura, Kuzan drew his sword. Unlike Beris, Kuzan maintained a cautious, expressionless demeanor.
“Heehee! I’m also very curious about who you are, so I plan to find out bit by bit. But first, I have to finish my job. Brother Den, step forward. If you do, I’ll let your daughter live. Maybe?”
Beris laughed, aiming the sphere of wind in her hand.
4-star wind magic, Blade Wind.
It was a spell more than capable of taking Den’s life, but an 8-star mage would typically use higher-tier magic. As a mage himself, Jin understood why Beris was using low-level spells.
She’s been using Hell Wind to kill survivors since dawn, so she’s conserving mana. The fact that she’s resorting to this despite thinking I’m just a guard confirms it.
The only reason Beris would have bothered using Hell Wind on the other survivors was her bizarre and cruel personality. She was the type who enjoyed overwhelming massacres.
An 8-star mage with full mana would have been a handful.
However, an 8-star mage low on mana or at risk of a Backflow Reaction was someone he could defeat—provided she wasn't exceptionally stronger than the average 8-star.
The problem is that guy. Based on the circumstances, he’s the one who killed the other survivors with poison, but he’s using a sword…
Kuzan held a common longsword. Assassins who specialized in poison rarely used such a weapon as their primary armament.
Is poison just a side skill? Is his main strength the sword?
The worst-case scenario was that he was proficient in both. Naturally, Jin had to fight assuming the worst.
Could he win against them?
7-star Magic, 6-star Swordsmanship, 5-star Spirit Energy. If they were careless and he played his cards right, he might just emerge victorious.
But if Kuzan is also an 8-star, it’s practically impossible. Unlike Beris, he doesn't seem to have wasted any Aura. As always, my only choice is to create an opening.
Just as Jin finished organizing his thoughts and was about to speak—
“Ugh, this is getting annoying! I told you to step forward, you insect!”
Swoosh! A Blade Wind shot from Beris’s palm. As Jin deployed an Aura shield to block it, Beris immediately began chanting her next spell.
“Jet.”
“Yes!”
“Take Den and run.”
“Yes, uh—wait, what?! I can’t do that, milord! Eek!”
As Jin swung his sword to deflect a second Blade Wind, Kuzan lunged like a wedge, aiming for his shoulder.
My shoulder. They want to keep me alive if possible. They must have questions.
Clang!
Despite it not being a full-strength strike, the pressure from Kuzan’s blade was considerable. Jin didn’t need to test him further to know: he was an 8-star. The worst-case scenario had been correct.
Still, thanks to the blessed physique of the Runcandels, it was a level of power Jin could parry a few times, even with one hand.
“In my opinion, you seem far more valuable than Den. Wouldn't it be better for you to abandon him and run? Besides, using only one hand… you seem to be looking down on me.”
“Well, it’s true my life is more precious. But I can’t stand the thought of a father dying in front of his child. I’m a bit soft-hearted, you see.”
Clash! Shing! Jin and Kuzan’s blades intertwined, sending sparks flying. Jet stood by, stomping his feet in indecision.
“Oh, milord!”
“I told you to run! You’re no help here with your skills. It’s better for me to fight alone. Either I kill these two, or at least you all survive.”
“I’d rather die with you!”
“Stop saying things you don’t mean and get lost. That’s an order.”
“Ugh, milord, I wish you luck in battle!”
With tears in his eyes, Jet snatched the daughter from Den’s arms and began to run like a madman. Den hurriedly followed. Seeing this, Beris burst into a fit of giggles.
“Oh, honestly! It’s so touching I can’t even watch. Heehee. Did you really think they could escape? Kuzan! Play with this cutie for a bit. I’ll go take care of them and be right back.”
Kuzan gave a slight nod.
As the blade flew toward him again, Jin widened his eyes and unleashed a spell he had hidden in his free hand.
It was the one magic that had never failed him in a crisis.
Flash Cannon.
Flash! A sudden, sharp radiance flooded the area. Kuzan, who was staring directly at the light, had no choice but to recoil.
“Urgh!”
Even an 8-star knight’s stance would falter when blinded by such an intense, sudden light. Beris, a fair distance away, flinched and covered her eyes.
In that split second, less than a single heartbeat—
Jin didn't miss the opening. He lunged into Kuzan’s guard, feeling as though he could end it with a single stroke to the neck.
Slash! The sword-light of Bradamante flashed, followed by the whistle of displaced air. He felt the vivid sensation of his blade’s tip slicing through something.
“Kh!”
However, the 8-star realm was not a stage one reached through luck.
He reacted to that?
Drip, drip. Blood fell from the tip of Jin’s sword as he backed away before a counterattack could begin. In that brief moment, Kuzan had already recovered some of his vision and steadied his stance.
“Tch.”
Instead of the neck, he had cut Kuzan’s chest. His coat was soaking with blood at an incredible rate; the wound was clearly not shallow.
“Kyaaaah! Kuzan!”
For the first time, the laughter vanished from Beris’s face. Rushing over with a pale expression, she checked Kuzan’s wound and then glared at Jin with terrifying eyes.
“I will tear you apart piece by piece, very carefully… How dare you hurt Kuzan!”
Rumble!
Mana began to gather around Beris like a waterfall. She let out a grotesque scream, her eyes rolling back as she prepared to face Jin with everything she had.
However, Jin smiled inwardly.
She’s definitely low on mana. Go on, keep drawing it up. If I block you just a few more times, you’ll destroy yourself through Backflow…
Grip!
Just as Beris was about to pounce, Kuzan grabbed her shoulder and shook his head.
“Don't get excited, Beris. He’s a Magic Swordsman. He knows a mage’s weaknesses. Furthermore, what he just used was light-element magic. We must deal with him cautiously.”
“But he hurt you!”
“You know an injury of this level is nothing. We can hunt Den later. It’s better to deal with this guy first before they get too far.”
“Nothing? It shortens your lifespan!”
Kuzan was the problem.
He’s strong, he’s not arrogant, and he’s cautious. The fact that he identified me as a Magic Swordsman just from seeing Flash Cannon, instead of assuming it was an artifact… This one’s going to be trouble.
A chill ran down Jin’s spine.
Against two 8-star opponents who were cautious and accounted for variables, his chances of winning were abysmally low.
Though Kuzan had suffered a significant wound, he pulled a glass bottle from his robe and drank its contents. The bleeding slowed at a visible rate.
What Kuzan drank was poison.
To a person with extreme resistance, however, it was no different from a miraculous elixir.
Is he the same type as Sister Yona? This guy… things just keep getting harder.
Having Yona Runcandel as a sister, Jin recognized it instantly.
—If you ever encounter someone like Yona as an enemy, remember this: you must finish them in a single blow. Otherwise, they’ll regenerate endlessly like immortals. It’s a regeneration that trades away their lifespan, but they’re a headache to deal with.
—Conversely, you must not allow even a small scratch. When they go all out, they coat their weapons in a deadly poison—one so potent that even they would struggle to handle it with their own resistance.
He recalled the stories he had heard while training under Luna.
True to her words, Kuzan, having finished his recovery, was now coating his blade with a poison that shimmered with a faint green light. A murky glow emanated from his sword as the poison and Aura mixed.
“I’m giving up on capturing him alive, Beris. Give me cover.”
“Got it! But don't overdo it. I don't want you getting hurt any more because of this bastard I’m going to tear to shreds.”
“If I can help it.”
Flash!
Kuzan’s charge was so fast that his gleaming eyes left an afterimage. Jin also kicked off the ground with all his might, thrusting his sword forward.
Boom! Unlike before, a shockwave and a roar erupted as their blades collided. Though they had only exchanged a single blow, it was more than enough to feel the true power of an 8-star knight.
“Die!”
And to top it all off, Beris was providing magical support from the rear.
Driven into a truly desperate crisis, Jin was contemplating exactly when he should play his final trump cards.
Tess, the Rune of Mul-ta, and Sword Liberation.
They were the only things he had left that could create an opening.