Chapter 214: The Secret of Blue Bird Archipelago Island 32 (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: The Secret of Blue Bird Archipelago Island 32 (4)
It was a sensation he had never experienced before.
Much like when Talaris had unleashed massive waves of sword energy against the Kozec back in Colon, a sharp radiance flared every time he thrust Sigmund forward.
Sword energy, saturated with lightning, tore through the air. The sheer power caused the compressed air to explode with heavy sonic booms, followed by layers of spreading shockwaves.
Fortune favors me.
If Sigmund hadn't been awakened by Gram’s residual will, Jin would certainly have been driven into a corner.
Of course, he might have been able to endure for ten minutes without relying on Sigmund’s power. However, he wouldn't have been able to prepare for the possibility that Julian’s avatar state might not dissipate even after Murakan’s Spirit Energy Release.
Furthermore, there was no guarantee that other enemies wouldn't appear after Julian was suppressed. This was, after all, Joshua’s territory.
[Urgh…!]
Julian, who had been screaming moments ago, locked eyes with Jin again. His face was contorted with a deep scowl, as if he found the very fact that he had just been struck by terror utterly humiliating.
[Get back!]
As Paitel swung Harmila like a sword, the strands of Jin’s sword energy surrounding him were swept away all at once.
"Get down here. Stop hovering up there."
Jin didn't miss the opening and leaped toward Julian. When facing an archer, one had to close the distance at all costs.
Boom—!
Julian hurriedly braced Harmila with both hands to block the strike. The resulting shockwave sent Julian plummeting straight down, while the recoil propelled Jin slightly higher into the air.
Crackle!
While airborne, Jin gathered lightning energy to replace what had been consumed. The stray sparks of lightning scattered around the area converged on Sigmund, tracing trails of light.
Those trails instantly became a thunderbolt, crashing down upon Julian, who was pinned to the ground.
Die!
Sigmund vibrated with the voice of the residual will. It seemed to feel a sense of euphoria at the thought of trampling its younger brother, Paitel.
Die, die! Hahaha, die!
Jin, busy preparing his next move as the lightning strike ended, didn't hear the residual will’s crazed voice.
Slash…!
The moment his feet touched the ground, Jin swung Sigmund. Julian, who was just pushing himself up, barely managed to defend himself again in an awkward posture.
Julian was sent stumbling back, kicking up clouds of stone and mud. For a split second, the debris obscured Jin’s vision.
The moment it cleared, Harmila’s lightning was aimed right at Jin’s nose.
The bolt grazed Jin’s cheek and struck something behind him with a thunderous explosion. Jin responded by swinging Sigmund upward at Julian’s torso.
[Gah!]
Thanks to the power of the residual will, Jin held a clear advantage in raw strength. Every time Julian blocked a strike, he was sent bouncing around like a ball.
Though he had managed to defend against most of the blows, the impacts would have shattered his bones long ago if not for his avatar body.
On the surface, Jin was completely dominating. In terms of actual latent power, however, Julian, as an avatar, could be considered superior.
But Paitel was a god unaccustomed to fighting strong opponents.
He had only ever punished lesser beings with lightning from the heavens, so he was clumsy in actual combat. To such a god, the martial prowess displayed by a descendant of Fighting God Ban was nothing short of shocking.
In other words, he had fallen completely into Jin’s pace.
Because of this, Kuzan, who was fleeing with Beris on his back, couldn't help but fall into a misunderstanding.
He’s a literal monster… Is that really the same guy I faced in Delki?
Kuzan didn't know that Sigmund was augmenting Jin’s martial power. Thus, in his eyes, Jin appeared to be a superhuman who surpassed even the well-known flagbearers of Runcandel.
If what Jin Runcandel said is true… what on earth should Beris and I do?
Lightning continued to pelt the entire island as if hell had broken loose. Kuzan had to survive at all costs to uncover the truth behind Taimun’s death.
[How dare a mere wretch like you mock me!]
Unwilling to be pushed around any longer, Julian glared with wide eyes and pulled back his bowstring. Jin tried to press him to prevent him from drawing the string, but he couldn't charge in. Lightning energy suddenly exploded from beneath his feet. Julian had blanketed the entire ground in lightning to bind Jin’s movements.
Then, lightning began to pour down from the thunderstorm above. The bolts, which turned the area around Julian completely blue, were all arrows from Harmila.
[I will make you pay the price…!]
As soon as the arrows were ready, a rapid-fire barrage began. Volleys of lightning, each possessing enough power to shatter the island, rained down upon Jin.
Fighting God Technique 4th Sword: Erosion.
Jin unleashed the technique reflexively. Before the first bolt of lightning could reach him, the blade of Sigmund dug into the ground.
This was on a different level compared to when he had used it against Vanessa. The lightning energy radiating from the blade suppressed Harmila’s bolts, forcing them to crash into the earth instead of ravaging Jin.
Simultaneously, circles began to form across the ground, which was now eroded by lightning.
At this level, even Sir Vanessa wouldn't have been able to deflect it.
They were circles that summoned thunder.
Disastrous thunder began to pour from the entire sky, making the massive thunderstorm Julian had conjured look insignificant.
An ear-splitting noise.
An intense, blinding light and a heavy vibration that shook one to their knees.
For a moment, these things completely seized control of Island 32. Earthquakes erupted every time a thunderbolt struck the ground, and several bolts landed directly on the crown of Julian’s head.
His screams were drowned out by the explosions, and his disheveled form was hidden by the light. Julian stood trembling violently, trapped within the thunder.
This was his chance to deliver the decisive blow.
Jin took a breath and decided to follow up with the next strike.
Can my body handle it?
Even though his martial power had increased significantly thanks to Sigmund, he wondered if he could perfectly execute Judgment.
Jin decided that with the ten minutes he'd promised Murakan nearly up, it was time to make his move.
Once again, Sigmund spat out lightning energy.
However, unlike the fierce momentum it had shown throughout, it seemed a bit strained now. Just as there were limits to Julian using Paitel’s power, there were limits to the power of Gram that Jin could wield.
Fighting God Technique 3rd Sword: Judgment. The sword chosen to finish the enemy.
As soon as the blade was sufficiently charged with lightning, Jin began his charge toward Julian. Julian had no way of seeing Jin through the thunder, nor could he even hear him approaching.
However, his intuition screamed of the coming crisis.
Harmila was aimed through the thunder. Surprisingly, it pointed exactly in the direction Jin was running, and the thunderstorm in the sky began to collapse, flowing into the bow.
The bowstring was pulled back by a bloated mass of lightning that could no longer be called an arrow.
The moment the spike of Judgment emerged from the thunder that had just fallen in front of him, Julian thought to himself:
You got too cocky just because I let you have your way for a bit, you insect.
As Julian released the string, the two forms of lightning collided.
The bolt that left Harmila shattered the spike of Judgment with pathetic ease.
The lightning energy forming the spike was ruthlessly crushed as the bolt shot toward Jin’s head at the speed of light.
I killed the insect!
It was a shame he couldn't inflict more pain, but he could make up for that by killing the brat's guardian dragon. Just as his lips were about to curl in triumph…
Julian had to scream once more in unbearable terror.
[Aaaargh! Te—Tess!]
Whoosh…!
Flames. Deep blue flames glowed where Jin’s head should have been. The flames of Tess, the one and only blue phoenix, were engulfing Julian.
What a cowardly god.
The idea to summon Tess had come to Jin the moment he saw the creature tremble in fear at the name of Fighting God Ban.
He figured a god who feared Ban couldn't possibly not fear Tess. He had heard that in the Fire Realm, where Tess’s true body resided, the phoenix possessed the majesty to annihilate the gods of this world with a mere breath.
Of course, it wouldn't have been a major problem even if the creature didn't know Tess well. The moment he unleashed Judgment, Jin had already decided to drop Sigmund and aim for the flank, using the blinding lightning as cover.
He had felt for a while that there was a gap in power, despite the overwhelming visuals. There was no reason to insist on a frontal confrontation.
[You cunning…!]
To Jin, it was nothing short of the highest praise.
Even if it couldn't exert ten percent of its true power, a god was still a god. Naturally, he had to deal with it cunningly.
Even if Jin had possessed greater power than he did now, he likely would have still chosen to be cunning.
Shing.
Amidst the thunderous explosions, Julian heard the cold rasp of a blade leaving its sheath.
It was the sound of Bradamante.
Pitch-black Spirit Energy blanketed Bradamante’s radiance. Smoothly and swiftly, Jin stepped forward and thrust the blade into Julian’s side.
Thuck…!
The sensation of the blade piercing flesh and bone was horribly vivid.
As long as he had descended through an avatar, what supported Paitel was ultimately just a human body.
[Cough!]
Julian reflexively pulled away, coughing up blood.
His anxious eyes trembled. Then, Tess’s Azure Fire seared his body, and the pressure forced him to the ground.
Strangely, at that moment, Jin felt a chill. He had just defeated his opponent, yet for some reason, a sense of unease was rushing in like a broken dam.
When he blinked, he saw the source of his unease.
The lightning bow Harmila had transformed like a snake and was coiling around Julian. Blood no longer flowed from the fatal wound, and Julian was laughing.
[I’ll admit it, you’re quite an impressive insect. However… I am a god. That means I do not die, even if my entire body is torn to pieces. A mere mortal couldn't have known that…]
The gloomy voice sent shivers down Jin's spine.
If the enemy wouldn't die no matter how much he was stabbed or cut, Jin had no chance of winning.
[What, are you disappointed? Keep trying…]
"Man, you sure talk a lot for a little brat."
Murakan, his Spirit Energy Release complete, spoke as he approached.
He casually pulled Jin back and spat on the ground.
[…What?]
"Looks like you've never been hit by Spirit Energy before. Don't worry, I'm about to give you a fun new experience."
[I heard Solderet cherishes his dragons, but this is excessive. I’ll take that as a request to kill you first.]
"What a letdown. I heard your older brother had some dignity before he died. Hehe, hehehehe."
[Why are you laughing?]
"How do you think it feels to inhabit an avatar and still be able to use more than fifty percent of your original power? Wouldn't you be laughing too?"
Because that’s exactly how I feel right now.
As Murakan finished his sentence, every shadow on the island—except for Jin’s—began to gather toward him.
Simultaneously, Julian’s lightning energy, which had covered the entire island, was swallowed by darkness like a candle being snuffed out.