Chapter 180: The Heritage Site of the Spirit Sword (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 180: The Heritage Site of the Spirit Sword (3)
The Fighting God was exceptionally small compared to the other members of the Pluto Tribe, so much so that there was little height difference between her and Jin.
However, her presence completely overwhelmed the twelve Fighting Kings lined up on either side of her. Her heart, shining like a sun, seemed to represent the sheer magnitude of her power.
With the hearts of the twelve Fighting Kings also glowing, the blinding radiance nearly forced Jin to shield his eyes.
The Fighting God looked down at Jin with deep, piercing eyes.
"Jin Runcandel, was it? The successor."
Her voice was clear, yet it carried a heavy resonance.
"That is correct."
"Strange. Your face is entirely different from Temar’s, yet your aura is remarkably similar."
Jin did not reply, simply maintaining eye contact with the Fighting God. She was a woman; her long hair fluttered in the air like flickering flames, stirred by her energy.
It didn't take long for the Fighting God to form her assessment.
"I like you, successor."
Based on what? Jin wondered. Just because I have a similar aura to Temar?
The question crossed his mind, but he didn't voice it.
Temar Runcandel must have left a truly special impression on these powerful and arrogant beings.
It was a natural conclusion, considering the Temar he had faced the previous night. A warrior capable of overwhelming the world with his own strength—that was the kind of man Temar Runcandel had been.
"Indeed... the successor does possess an aura similar to Temar’s, Fighting God Brother."
"But I wonder if he can become a greater warrior than him."
"I told you not to expect a warrior who can satisfy us as much as Temar did, Garmund. That is asking too much."
The Fighting Kings chimed in one by one, eyeing Jin from head to toe.
Though he had been acknowledged by the Fighting God the moment he arrived, Jin couldn't help but feel slighted.
They all see me as nothing more than Temar Runcandel’s shadow.
He couldn't deny that Temar was a legendary warrior. Nor could he deny that he only existed because Temar had founded the Runcandel Clan.
However, he had no intention of remaining a mere inferior version of his ancestor. Furthermore, Jin never believed that he would be unable to surpass Temar.
Before coming here, Jin had already cut him down—even if it hadn't been a true battle.
"I am Jin Runcandel."
"Do not speak unless the Fighting God Brother has asked you a question, successor."
"Since you only speak of my ancestor, I thought you might not know my name."
"Such insolence...!"
As one of the Fighting Kings glared at him, the Fighting God calmly raised her hand. At that, the Fighting Kings all bowed their heads in unison.
"Hehe... Right. It seems we’ve spent too much time talking about the past in front of the new successor. Jin Runcandel, my name is Ban."
The Pluto Tribe had no surnames to represent a family or bloodline. This was because they considered everyone born of their kind to be blood-related siblings.
"Do not use honorifics. Just call me Ban."
"Is that permitted?"
"The formalities and etiquette of human society do not apply to us. It means there is no issue with you addressing me by name. There is only one thing you must be careful of when you speak."
"What is that?"
"Until all of the Pluto Tribe acknowledges you, you must never use the title 'Brother' or 'Sister'."
When Jin nodded, several Fighting Kings let out sneers. Their eyes seemed to say: You arrogant human brat, you’ll never earn our recognition.
Jin didn't mind.
In fact, the Fighting Kings who wore their emotions on their sleeves were no problem at all. Such honest individuals were usually simple-minded, and simple-minded people were easy to manage.
It was the Fighting Kings who remained expressionless throughout who would be difficult to read.
Fighting God Ban. She is the same. She said she likes me, but I don't know if she truly means it yet.
Ban rose from her chair and slowly walked toward Jin. She then unfastened the sword at her waist and held it out to him.
For a weapon wielded by a Fighting God, it was an incredibly plain-looking sword.
"Use this sword while you are inheriting the Spirit Sword."
The Fighting Kings who had sneered earlier smirked once more. The moment Jin took the Fighting God’s sword, he understood why.
My spirit energy…!
It was being sucked into the sword. Though it looked ordinary on the outside, the Fighting God’s sword was designed to drain spirit energy.
It was completely different from when he injected spirit energy into Bradamante to perform Sword Liberation. Regardless of his will, the spirit energy rising within him was absorbed by the sword and vanished without a trace.
"It is called the Spirit-Absorbing Sword. It must feel strange to you. Since contracting with Solderet, you likely haven't had spirit energy leave your body even once."
"If I carry this all day, my spirit energy will be completely drained."
"Your ancestor, Temar Runcandel, overcame that sword in no time. Since you stated your name with such confidence, I suppose I can look forward to your performance?"
It was difficult to answer readily.
The speed at which the sword absorbed spirit energy was alarming. Even though he was trying to control his energy the moment he realized the sword's nature, the more he tried to suppress it, the more violently the sword sucked it away.
They’re really putting me through the wringer.
He decided to nod for now. If he couldn't achieve what Temar had, these people would view him as nothing more than Temar’s inferior until the very end.
He would find a way to overcome the sword. Just as he always had.
"The inheritance will begin tomorrow. For today, you may withdraw and rest."
"Understood."
As Jin left the Great Hall, the Fighting Kings clicked their tongues.
"He should be grateful just to be compared to Temar. This second successor is going to pay the price for his arrogance from the moment he arrived."
Belize, the 7th Fighting King, shrugged and spoke to the Fighting God.
"Fighting God Brother, isn't this a bit much?"
"What is a bit much, 7th Fighting King Brother?"
"Temar was given the Spirit-Absorbing Sword only after he completed the 1st Form of the Spirit Sword. He was also over twenty years old. I think it’s too early for the second successor to handle the Spirit-Absorbing Sword."
"What’s this, Belize? Are you already growing fond of the second successor? All our brothers are making a fuss because a successor has arrived after a thousand years, but those of us in the Great Hall must maintain a critical eye."
When the Fighting King called Garmund answered instead, the Fighting God gave a faint smile.
"Our time has been frozen, but outside, a thousand years have passed since Temar died. It is a long enough time that it wouldn't be strange for a bloodline stronger than Temar’s to appear. I am simply curious if humans—if the Runcandels—have become stronger than they were a thousand years ago."
*
The night was long.
No one was watching him, but Jin kept the Spirit-Absorbing Sword in his arms all night. As a result, before dawn had even fully broken, every single drop of spirit energy in his body had vanished.
The emptiness feels alien.
He tried to perform Spirit Energy Release as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning.
However, the abundant 6-star spirit energy was nowhere to be found; only a faint, hazy wisp of energy flickered around his body.
It was slightly better if he set the sword aside and performed the release. But to fully recover his depleted energy, it seemed he would need to spend at least three days away from the sword, focusing solely on Spirit Energy Release.
The one chosen to teach Jin first was the 8th Fighting King.
"Who is the 8th Fighting King, Tantel?"
"Brother Garmund. Among the brothers you saw in the Great Hall yesterday, he’s the tallest one with the longest beard."
"Ah, that man."
The task of the Spirit-Absorbing Sword was difficult, but fortunately, managing his first teacher seemed like it would be easier. Garmund was one of the Fighting Kings who openly showed his emotions.
"By the way, how does the ranking of the Fighting Kings work? Is a lower number higher?"
"In principle, there is no hierarchy other than the Fighting God Brother. We use honorifics out of respect, but even the Fighting King Brothers are technically on the same level as us ordinary warriors. The number before the title 'Fighting King' simply indicates the order in which they became one."
"It’s a surprisingly egalitarian system."
"Unlike humans or other beastmen, we have never turned our blades against one another. That is why we have no need for unnecessarily complex rankings."
"That’s an interesting story."
The place where Garmund waited was the training ground in the center of the Great Hall, a structure so vast it seemed to occupy most of the hall's area.
There was no training equipment provided, and the stone floor was severely gouged and uneven, looking as though it hadn't been maintained at all.
However, the moment Jin stepped onto the floor, he thought this training ground was the form most suited to the Pluto Tribe.
The floor is incredibly hard…
It certainly wasn't ordinary stone. With a bit of exaggeration, the floor was as hard as the ancient Ten Thousand-Year Steel used to forge Bradamante and the Black King Armor.
Yet that floor was gouged and chipped everywhere. It was a testament to how intense the Pluto Tribe’s training had been here before their fall.
And is that mark… left by Temar?
A single, fierce sword scar stretched out as if it were about to split the training ground in two. It didn't actually divide the whole area, but the scar continued for about a hundred paces.
Garmund stood at the end of that sword scar with his arms crossed.
A hundred paces isn't much, considering the sheer size of the training ground.
Could the current him leave a scar like that on this stone floor?
He wouldn't know until he tried. Though he hadn't properly mastered the Spirit Sword yet, he felt it might be possible if he put all his will into it—just as he had when he cut through Myuron’s Hell Gate and Goltep’s hammer.
Or when he had resolved to cut down Temar.
Of course, that’s only if my spirit energy isn't being stolen by the Spirit-Absorbing Sword.
He tightly gripped the Spirit-Absorbing Sword strapped to his waist like a punishment.
Six months remained until the operation to seize the compass. Within that time, he had to overcome the Spirit-Absorbing Sword, acquire the Spirit Sword, and return to his comrades.
"This is the mark left by your ancestor, second successor."
"I was just thinking that, Garmund."
At that, Garmund whipped his head around and glared at Tantel. His eyes demanded to know if Tantel was the one who had told his name to this arrogant successor.
"Ah, 8th Fighting King Brother. Shouldn't the boy at least know his teacher's name beforehand?"
"I haven't considered this human brat my disciple yet!"
"I'm sure you haven't. Anyway, I'm heading back, 8th Fighting King Brother. I hope the successor who finally showed up after a thousand years doesn't die on the first day."
"Hmph, you sound just like the 7th Fighting King Brother. Whether he lives or dies is up to how well he performs. Draw your sword, successor. Before we begin training, there is something I must verify. If you cannot even do this, you cannot receive training from me."
As Jin drew the Spirit-Absorbing Sword, Garmund flashed a wicked grin.
"Can you swing your sword ten thousand times, and have all ten thousand swings be identical?"
Jin couldn't help but rejoice inwardly.
That was the one thing he was most confident in.