Chapter 285: Temar’s First Grave (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 285: Temar’s First Grave (6)
“Who is Silderay?”
Even during his time at Storm Castle and his education on clan history as a cadet, Jin had never heard that name. This was because the Zipple Clan had erased every single record of Silderay's existence.
Silderay himself was not yet visible. From beyond the murky space, Jin could only feel a massive aura of unfathomable depth.
It was like witnessing a monster of the abyss rising from the deepest reaches of the ocean. Even before they met, Jin knew exactly how powerful his opponent was.
A thrill ran down his spine, the fine hairs on his skin standing on end. Shring. The pale blade of Sigmund slid from its sheath, gleaming in the darkness.
“One of Temar’s Ten Great Knights,” Murakan said. “You could call him the predecessor of the current Runcandel Black Knights. His original surname was Zizek, but he later changed it to Runcandel to follow Temar.”
“The predecessor of the Black Knights? That’s an interesting story.”
Murakan looked appalled by Jin’s response.
“Interesting? In this situation? You’re going crazy too, kid. I can’t fight right now. If that guardian is a perfect recreation of Silderay in his prime, then… ugh, I can’t handle this. Our chances of winning are nonexistent.”
“We won’t know until we try. Besides, there’s no guarantee we’ll have to fight, right? He asked if we came to comfort Temar, so he might be more hospitable than we expect.”
“Not a chance. That’s not the real Silderay; it’s a guardian made in his image. And guardians exist, first and foremost, to crush any intruders.”
The guardian’s aura was slowly drawing closer.
Murakan was right. That aura was clearly laced with fighting spirit—a fierce, colossal fighting spirit that made Jin’s skin tingle as if it were on fire.
“How strong is he?”
“What?”
“Silderay’s combat power, as you remember it.”
“Ten-star. An exceptional one, even among them. Fortunately, he wasn’t a magic swordsman like the pure-blooded Runcandels.”
“Then I’d better hope he hasn’t been recreated in his prime. I take it there’s no way to escape this subspace?”
“Either inject the same amount of spirit energy into the key or have the guardian guide you out. It’ll be one of the two.”
“Fine. It’s an unavoidable fight anyway. Let’s trade blows first and think later.”
Jin took his stance.
Watching him, Murakan had a thought.
This crazy brat… he actually looks like he’s enjoying this.
To some extent, he was.
Jin felt a sense of satisfaction at the prospect of testing himself against Silderay, a man who was essentially the progenitor of the Black Knights. It wasn’t just the satisfaction born of a warrior’s competitive streak or mere youthful bravado.
Solderet’s arrangements, the tests he left for me… in the end, they were all trials I was meant to overcome. Besides, the opportunity to cross swords with a 10-star knight doesn’t come every day.
The mission to assassinate Barton Vichena, a 10-star knight and a spy within the Black Knights, was only a few days away.
There was no opponent better suited than this guardian to sharpen his combat instincts and learn what it truly meant to fight a 10-star knight.
Above all, unlike Murakan, Jin didn’t believe their chances of winning were nonexistent.
Even if the worst comes to pass, I can summon the brothers from Laprarosa. Though I’m not particularly fond of the idea.
Finally, the guardian’s form emerged from the darkness.
He wore armor similar in design to that of the Runcandel guardian knights. He had a grand, sturdy frame, with explosive muscles that couldn’t be hidden even by plate mail, and a heavy, sharp gaze that looked capable of piercing through steel.
Most impressive of all was the greatsword that seemed even larger than his own body. Wielding a blade far more massive than even Luna’s axe-sword, it seemed absurd that Silderay’s name had been lost to history. Anyone capable of handling such a weapon at will should have had their name etched into the annals of time forever.
The guardian stopped about twenty paces away.
He was a manifestation, created in the same manner as Jin’s ‘Release of Black Light.’ Solderet had used spirit energy to fashion Silderay’s soul and will, allowing the deceased knight to temporarily manifest in the mortal realm when certain conditions were met.
Jin and Murakan realized this the moment they saw him.
[I am the guardian of this tomb, Silderay Runcandel.]
“Hey, Silderay! Don’t you recognize me?” Murakan stepped forward and shouted.
The guardian completely ignored him, his gaze fixed solely on Jin.
“Why aren’t you answering, you bastard? It’s Murakan. The Black Dragon Murakan.”
[I know of no such lowlife.]
“What? A lowlife…?!”
[Be gone, you.]
“Ha! Listen to this guy. So what if I’ve lost my old power and my spirit energy is depleted? How dare you speak to me like that? Silderay, I was the guardian dragon of your lord, Temar.”
[…Mention Temar’s name one more time, and I shall take your head without warning.]
The guardian seemed to harbor some sort of resentment toward Murakan. As a perfect replica fashioned from spirit energy, he possessed all of Silderay’s old memories.
Murakan’s eyes widened as he glared at the guardian. He wanted to rush in and give the knight a beating right then and there, but that would have been a difficult task even for Murakan in his prime. Since he had exhausted all his spirit energy, he had no choice but to endure the insult.
[State your name, last contractor of Solderet.]
“I am Jin Runcandel.”
Silderay’s gaze deepened.
[…Solderet has kept his promise. Then it is now my turn to keep mine.]
Whoosh!
Silderay swung his greatsword in a smooth arc. That motion alone produced a heavy gust of wind that whipped through Jin’s and Murakan’s hair.
[I, Silderay Runcandel of the Ten Great Knights, shall bequeath my will to his last contractor, in accordance with the ancient promise made to Solderet, the God of Swords and Shadows.]
The bequeathing of his will.
The meaning behind those words was simple.
[Contractor Jin Runcandel, prepare yourself to face me.]
“Guardian, Sir Silderay Runcandel. Please promise me one thing.”
His tone was polite, but Jin looked the guardian straight in the eye. It was less of a request and more of a notification.
[Speak.]
“Murakan is currently in no condition to fight. Can you ensure that he is not killed?”
[That is for the lowlife to handle on his own.]
“Thank you.”
That was enough. Murakan’s pride would take a hit, but it couldn’t be helped.
[Accept all that follows with humility.]
The moment he finished speaking, the guardian’s greatsword flashed.
It was, quite literally, just a flash of light. The flash was the greatsword, moving at a speed no one would believe possible for such a massive blade unless they saw it with their own eyes.
Clang! BOOM!
As the greatsword and Sigmund collided, a deafening roar erupted.
The floor, which appeared to be solid stone, shattered, the broken fragments dissolving into particles of spirit energy and evaporating. Shockwaves clawed at the air.
Jin gritted his teeth.
If he hadn’t grown accustomed to the swords of the Fighting Kings in Laprarosa over the past year, or if he hadn’t faced Vanessa’s blade before, he would have been thrown into a panic by that first blow.
Incredible…!
The guardian’s strike contained both the crushing pressure of a falling mountain and the sharpness of shattered obsidian.
Murakan had already been blown far away. The shockwave from their first exchange had sent him flying, and he was now rolling across the floor, spewing all sorts of curses as he scrambled to retreat from the battlefield. Fortunately, it seemed he had avoided a fatal injury.
The guardian did not bother to pursue him.
A second and third strike followed in quick succession.
With every exchange, terrible pain shot through Jin’s body, as if his bones were breaking and his skin was tearing. Yet, regardless of the pain, his body resiliently distributed the impact.
My training hasn’t been in vain.
Ten-star, the stage just before Creation.
It was impossible to tell if the guardian was a perfect recreation of Silderay in his prime, but it was certain that the power of a 10-star knight was infused into even his simplest attacks. His destructive power was on par with Vanessa or the Fighting Kings of the Pluto Tribe.
And Jin was facing those attacks using nothing but pure swordsmanship.
But I don’t see an opening for a counterattack.
The problem was retaliation.
He was so busy defending that he couldn’t find a single gap to strike back. The guardian’s greatsword pressured him relentlessly, flashing from all directions five or six times a second.
In short, the guardian possessed power that was clearly and vastly superior to Jin’s.
Fighting a stronger opponent was nothing new. Whenever he encountered a powerful foe, Jin had always turned the tide by introducing variables. He had always responded calmly, leveraging the fact that his opponents never knew all the weapons in his arsenal.
The Flash Cannon, the Rune of Mul-ta, the lightning energy of the Pluto Tribe, spirit energy, and so on. His trump cards had always yielded excellent results.
But would any of that work against a 10-star knight?
Jin had already learned the answer was ‘no’ during Vanessa’s test. At the time, she had treated his Flash Cannon and Pluto Sword as mere curiosities, easily dismantling them.
To a warrior who had reached the pinnacle of the sword, variables were practically nonexistent. Unless a technique was as profound as the realm they had reached, everything else was nothing more than a parlor trick.
I have to use the Fighting God Techniques from the start. Nothing else will work.
Of course, the basic forms like Lightning or Oppression were by no means lacking. However, Jin could not yet execute them with 10-star power. Using them for clumsy tricks or traps would only lead to his own undoing.
First, I’ll summon Tess to buy a few seconds, then use the Fighting God Technique: Erosion to secure my domain… Dammit, the gate won’t open! Is this a dead world, too?!
Even though he formed the summoning seal to open the Fire Realm, the dimensional gate did not appear. Jin had already experienced several times that dimensional gates do not open in a ‘dead world.’
This subspace, personally crafted by Solderet, was also a dead world.
Inevitably, the Release of Black Light he hurriedly attempted yielded the same result. No form of summoning was possible.
[It seems you attempted something, but it appears to have failed. Still, your ability to remain calm is commendable.]
The guardian swung his greatsword even more fiercely.
It was then that Jin took his first step back. The gap in their abilities was becoming glaringly obvious. Strength, accuracy, experience—the guardian overwhelmed him in every aspect.
Drip. A trail of blood trickled from the corner of Jin’s mouth. The impact had only torn the inside of his cheek; his organs were unharmed.
Damn, I didn't think this place would be a dead world. From now on, the first thing I do in an unfamiliar space is check if summoning is possible.
Jin caught his breath.
Although the move he had prepared for the worst-case scenario was blocked at the source, it wasn't over yet.
Considering the mission in a few days, I really didn't want to use this.
Crackle, zap, snap!
Inside his Heart of Light, lightning energy began to surge violently.
If even this failed, his only options left would be to run and pray.