Chapter 192: Operation Compass Snatch (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 192: Operation Compass Snatch (4)
A legacy passed down to a single successor.
The Fighting God Technique was a transcendental martial art, a path open to only one person at a time. Only the wielder of Sigmund, the divine sword of the Pluto Tribe, could learn it.
And Sigmund no longer belonged to Fighting God Ban; it was now Jin’s sword.
— Do not forget, Brother Jin. You are a brother and descendant of the Pluto Tribe, and its one and only successor. Therefore, fear no one, no matter who you face.
Perhaps it was seeing the despair on the faces of the White Wolf tribesmen as they faced Judgment. Or perhaps it was seeing Ban's face in the piercing spike of lightning.
Even in the heat of battle, Ban's words from Laprarosa flickered through his mind.
Brilliant lightning illuminated the dim interior.
“D-Dodge!”
The White Wolf named Duroka screamed. It wasn't a gruff roar, but a shrill shriek born of pure terror.
The moment he saw the lightning of Judgment, he knew it instinctively.
This was not something they could block with mere hammers.
K-Kzzzzzt!
The massive spike of lightning was as large as a whale. It possessed a power so immense it was hard to believe it had been unleashed from a single longsword.
He had screamed for them to dodge.
But the White Wolves could not move. Not only was there no space to escape, but a profound terror—one that honor and pride could not overcome—weighed down on them.
Had this been the aura of an ordinary Pluto Tribe warrior, they would have raised their hammers despite their fear.
But this was the aura of a Fighting God. The same majesty their ancestors five thousand years ago wouldn't have dared to look upon was now fully imbued in the sword—and the eyes—of this human, who stood less than two meters tall.
‘I didn’t come here as a thief today.’
Cr-crack!
The spike of Judgment pierced through Duroka’s body.
Not a single drop of blood or shred of flesh flew. The moment the tip pierced him, the lightning of Judgment swallowed him whole, incinerating his body until nothing but ash remained.
It happened as fast as a lightning strike.
‘I came as a conqueror.’
His cry to dodge had been a hollow echo from the start. In the blink of an eye, Duroka became ash, and the White Wolf standing beside him couldn't even muster rage at his comrade's death.
He simply felt that something was fundamentally wrong.
This can't be real…
The moment that thought struck him, he could do nothing but squeeze his eyes shut against the brilliant light descending upon him.
Flash!
As Judgment unleashed another flare, he too turned to ash. Still unsatisfied, the spike of Judgment turned its light upon its next prey.
Who could have imagined that two White Wolves of assault-captain caliber would die so pathetically?
While everyone doubted their own eyes and the reality of the situation, Sigmund pointed toward Chukon.
The White Wolves huddled around Chukon were already shaking their heads, unconsciously begging for their lives.
However, Jin’s gaze did not waver. He was as resolute as a king standing on an execution platform.
“Aaaah!”
Three White Wolves squeezed their eyes shut.
They did not meet their deaths as instantly as the previous two. It was thanks to a barrier deployed by the absolute master of Anz, which briefly halted Judgment's advance.
‘Has Chukon’s sight recovered already? No, it seemed he had deployed it on pure instinct.’
Sizzle! Zap!
The Ultimate Defense Magic of a Great Mage certainly lived up to its name. Even though he had clearly deployed it in haste the moment his vision returned, the fact that it held back Judgment for even a second was a testament to its power.
Although Jin had mastered the Fighting God Technique 3rd Sword: Judgment, his aura was still only in the late 7-star stage. If he had reached even the early 8-star stage, Chukon's barrier wouldn't have lasted three seconds against Judgment.
‘Of course, this isn't all you have, Chukon Tolderer.’
Cr-crack!
Cracks appeared in the barrier. As the lightning spike dug into the fissures, the White Wolves curled their bodies, looking like small beasts scurrying into a burrow to hide from a predator.
The Fighting God Technique was not a merciful art. The spike soon tore the barrier to pieces, and the White Wolves hidden behind it left nothing but dying screams.
Screeeech!
Before the screams could even register, every White Wolf was dead.
Only then did Jin stop Judgment and recall the remaining lightning into Sigmund’s blade.
As the savagely roaring bolts were drawn back, the aura of his Heart of Light, which had grown unstable from using the Fighting God Technique, began to settle.
‘I’ll need to be at least 9-star to use this without strain.’
But that was a pointless restriction. Even with an aura ill-suited for the rank of the Fighting God Technique, its power was enough to wipe out five assault-captain-level White Wolves in an instant.
The hall grew dark once more.
None of Jin’s enemies wanted the darkness to lift. For when it did, the monster's lightning would begin again.
‘I wonder if Lady Siris managed to get the compass to Enya?’
He wanted to go down and check immediately, but Chukon and Karl Zipple were now observing the situation with their sight restored.
‘This is insane… What on earth is happening?’
Karl hadn't understood his subordinates' panic when they shouted about falling lightning. But now, the surroundings were scorched black, the stench of burning hung heavy in the air, and the White Wolves who had been screaming were nowhere to be found.
Karl’s subordinates, who had witnessed the entire scene, were trembling. Their eyes pleaded for a chance to flee.
What terrified them even more was that they had no idea who this monster was. Neither Chukon nor Karl could place him.
If he had used Ten Thousand Ice, they would have assumed it was Talaris; if he had used a Heart Sword, they would have assumed it was Luna; and if he had unleashed the brutal sword style of a slaughterer, they would have thought of a Runcandel Black Knight.
But what Jin used was lightning. As far as they knew, there wasn't a single warrior in the world who used thunderbolts.
‘He follows an unknown school of swordsmanship and uses the lost light magic of the ancients. Furthermore, the light magic he unleashed is similar to Chenmi’s Flash Cannon… which is recorded in the clan’s secret annals.’
Was he a magic swordsman?
Karl and Chukon reached the same conclusion simultaneously.
Both Zipple and Kinzelo had recently heard rumors that an unidentified magic swordsman had displayed his skills in Delki. The rumors had spread after Jin faced Beris and Kuzan.
Zipple, in particular, was considering the possibility that the person who impersonated Veradin in Akin might be a magic swordsman, based on testimony from the few survivors of Tessing.
‘Then could that man be…?’
While dizzying speculations swirled in Karl and Chukon’s minds, Jin took a step toward them. It was just a single step, but Karl’s and Chukon’s subordinates reflexively flinched.
“What are you thinking about, Chukon Tolderer, Karl Zipple?”
“…Where did you come from?” Chukon replied.
Both he and Karl were frustrated to the point of madness. They couldn't understand where the information about the compass had leaked.
They had no leads. They didn't know how many allies he had downstairs, how skilled they were, or why they were even after the compass.
They thought they only had to watch out for Runcandel and Viment, but for a monster like this to appear out of nowhere…
‘It’s not Runcandel. There’s a high probability it’s Viment.’
‘Could he be the completed version of the Demon the Viment bastards are experimenting on?’
Jin shrugged.
“There’s no point in trying to find out who I am. You’re all dying today.”
He spoke coldly, but Jin didn't actually expect to kill both Chukon and Karl. He was merely talking to buy time—to stabilize his Heart of Light and allow his comrades on the first floor to handle the situation.
It was also to gauge Chukon and Karl’s attitudes.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this unpleasant. The opponent knows me, but I don’t know them… That’s not an experience one often has as a Zipple. Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am the 4th Magic Tower Master of Zipple, Karl Zipple.”
“I know.”
The 4th Tower Master, the third son of Kelliark Zipple.
Jin didn't know much about him. He was someone who had never shown his face in the newsletters and whom Jin had never encountered in his past life. He had only heard that Zipple’s 4th Magic Tower handled the clan’s dirty work.
Handling dirty work might sound like they were poorly treated, but it was the opposite. The 4th Magic Tower was an institution with the second-largest number of personnel after the 1st Magic Tower, which was famous as the ‘Tower of Stories.’
In other words, it was among the most influential factions within Zipple.
“You are bluffing right now, sir. I admit, you are incredibly strong. But I don't think you're at a level where you can handle both me and Lord Chukon at the same time.”
“Is that so? A moment ago, you were talking about tearing the Kinzelo insects to death, and now he’s ‘Lord Chukon’ again?”
“Misunderstandings can be resolved. My philosophy is that an outstanding enemy, if forgivable, should be made into an ally. In that spirit, I have a proposal. Join Zipple. I promise to give you more than you could ever desire.”
“Karl Zipple! You bastard!” Chukon’s eyes bulged.
“You’ll burst my eardrums, Lord Chukon. The compass has already fallen into his hands, has it not? And he seems to know about our relationship and various other secrets. There’s nothing to be gained from fighting.”
“Bullshit…!”
“Calm down. If he refuses, we can join forces and kill him then. If it makes you feel better, Lord Chukon, you can offer him a spot in Kinzelo as well. Honestly, I don't have the confidence to handle him alone. Do you, Lord Chukon?”
Five assault-captain-level White Wolves had died, along with numerous knights and mages at the 7-star rank or higher. It wasn't an impossible feat for Chukon or Karl, but doing it this quickly was a different story.
“What do you say to becoming a man of Zipple? Seeing as you were after the compass, it shouldn't be a bad deal for you either.”
Jin let out a smirk.
And inwardly, he felt certain.
‘It seems the White Night’s aerial fortress, the Kozec, isn't nearby.’
The Kozec.
That terrifying vessel he had experienced at the Colon Ruins.
Jin had deliberately engaged in this useless chatter to confirm whether Karl had brought the Kozec.
‘If the Kozec were here, he wouldn't be making recruitment offers; he would have simply used force. They could just evacuate to the Kozec, even if it meant wiping the entire island off the map.’
It was a concern he had kept in mind since first stepping onto the island. He had confirmed that the ‘White Night’ wasn't at the casino, but since the Kozec was an aerial fortress, it could have been hidden within the clouds.
However, the Kozec’s absence was, in a way, expected. The Kozec was a ship that only moved when Zipple declared war; it wasn't something to be kept on standby for an operation like this.
The same went for Kinzelo. If they had hidden such a massive force near the island, it could have been mistaken by Zipple and led to an all-out war.
“The Kozec isn't here.”
As Jin spoke softly, Karl’s pupils dilated.
There was no reaction more certain than that.
“What…?”
“In that case, from my perspective, there's no need for any more talk, mages. Let's finish this.”