Chapter 305: Temar’s Second Tomb (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 305: Temar’s Second Tomb (3)
‘The Witch’s doing? What did that mean? It sounded as if the Witch's power allowed someone to use spirit energy even without being Solderet's contractor.’
The name of Shuri’s former master, Heluram, flashed through his mind.
However, the current situation didn't allow him to dwell on it.
Fire began to surge along the broken sword. The crimson flames spread from points into lines, and from lines into sheets, rapidly staining the murky subspace.
The scars from a thousand years of injuries vanished from Sarah’s body.
Fire, instead of blood, now poured from her gaping wounds, and soon, her entire body was wreathed in flames. Her hair, her eyes, and even her fingernails became blazing fire itself.
Soon, the sword lost its metallic form, transforming into a blade of pure flame.
The Flame Emperor—that was the name given to her by those who trembled in fear at the sight of this form.
[You madwoman! The Magic Sword Secret Technique, Karma Fire? In your state!?]
Murakan screamed.
Just a moment ago, his heart had been in turmoil at the sight of the wounded Guardian. His chest had felt like it was being torn apart each time she called him a traitor.
But now, the pain was no longer merely emotional—it was physical.
Murakan had assumed the Guardian couldn't possibly perform a Magic Sword Secret Technique.
While she possessed martial prowess bordering on the Realm of Creation, her injuries were simply too severe.
[Are you really trying to kill us all!?]
[Such a fuss, Murakan! Or are you mocking me on top of your betrayal? I know full well these lukewarm flames can do nothing to the likes of you.]
[That’s not it!]
[What do you mean, ‘that’s not it’? You filthy traitor.]
I didn't betray you, and my body has grown weak.
Murakan’s response was drowned out by the sound of exploding flames and failed to reach the Guardian. Even if it had reached her clearly, nothing would have changed.
It wasn't just her body that had been ravaged by a thousand years of agonizing time and continuous battle.
Her mind had completely eroded. She was in a state where she could no longer make rational judgments; even now, as she fought the group, she was plagued by hallucinations and auditory delusions.
In her fractured mind, she blindly followed the mission engraved upon her very soul: Kill anything that threatens Runcandel.
There was one more mission, one intended for Jin, but after countless battles, the Guardian had forgotten it.
Fwoosh! Crackle! Sizzle!
If there were a fire capable of consuming the entire world, this was it.
Had it been Sarah in her prime, uninjured, that statement would have been no exaggeration.
The Karma Fire she unleashed now possessed less than twenty percent of the power it held a thousand years ago, back when she incinerated Zipple mages.
It was an inevitable decline; her injuries prevented her from fully utilizing her mana and aura, and she no longer had her old phoenix, Manier.
Nevertheless, the Guardian’s Karma Fire expanded its domain, effortlessly erasing Murakan’s released shadow energy.
The mixture of fire and shadow wove strange, massive patterns across the sky of the subspace. The subspace itself fluctuated as if it might collapse at any moment. The area shimmered with such intense heat and spiritual pressure that even the dragons could not fly as they wished.
[Quicantel!]
[I know! I’ll hold her back as much as I can—you handle the flames!]
Quicantel descended, her silver eyes glowing.
Peeeeee—!
A sharp, resonant sound echoed as waves began to radiate from Quicantel’s forehead.
It was a wave imbued with the Authority of Time.
This was the same power she had used when facing Andrei Zipple and the Wind Dragon Buretta.
Anything touched by those net-like waves, which spread rapidly over a wide area, was destined to lose its time.
Buretta’s entire body had frozen solid just from the tip of his wing touching it.
However, the Guardian’s flames were merely slowed after being engulfed by the waves of time. They continued to consume the space, exhaling a horrific heat.
With the authority Quicantel possessed, it was impossible to stop the Guardian completely. It would likely be the same even if the God of Time, Olta, descended in person.
The Guardian went even further.
Swinging her flaming sword, she began to cut the waves of time approaching her. The severed waves lost their power like snapped strings and vanished into nothingness.
She couldn't neutralize all the waves holding back the fire, but that feat alone was enough to cause utter shock.
Step, step.
Clearing a path through the waves, the Guardian approached Jin. Her gaze, however, remained fixed on Murakan.
The Guardian was constantly wary of Murakan’s power. She believed that, besides him, no one else here could pose a threat to her.
And that would have been true—if both she and Murakan were in their prime.
[Bystander… no, I suppose you’re no longer a bystander. Regardless, Quicantel, why not back down now? Holding on will do nothing but tarnish the name of your god, who is so fond of saving face.]
Grind!
Quicantel gritted her teeth.
Her pride wasn't wounded by the Guardian’s words; she was gritting them because she was desperately exerting her authority.
Despite her efforts, the Guardian was neutralizing her power far too easily.
The Guardian, Sarah Runcandel, was an opponent against whom Quicantel wouldn't have dared to even measure her pride.
The Guardian had called her Karma Fire lukewarm.
But that was strictly by her own standards. Even though the fire still raged at a considerable distance, the heat reaching the group through their shields was enough to make the fine hairs on their bodies stand on end.
Once Quicantel’s authority failed, the only ones capable of fighting within those flames would be Murakan, Quicantel, and Jin—provided he used Pluto’s Sovereign Sword.
However, Jin’s body had not yet recovered enough to unleash it. If he forced the technique, he might suffer permanent damage to his Heart of Light.
They had to make a decisive move before Quicantel’s strength was exhausted.
“Lady Quicantel, how much longer can you hold out?”
[Five minutes.]
Quicantel replied, her body trembling violently.
Shorter than he expected.
Fortunately, a plan immediately formed in his mind.
‘…The shield is melting. Even with Murakan and Lady Quicantel filtering the worst of it, the destructive power is still this immense. If her authority vanishes, we won’t get away with just moderate injuries.’
Jin, Gilly, Casimir, Alisa, Enya, and Jet—all six maintained the shield together.
They were protecting one another, but the shields of martial artists were inefficient for defending others.
“Enya.”
“Yes, Young Master…!”
“I have to rejoin the fight. Once I pull out, you must become the main pillar of the shield.”
Jin was currently serving as that pillar. Unlike the other martial artists, he maintained the shield by mixing aura and mana, and since his overall power was the greatest, it was only natural.
Enya, as a mage, had to take over his role. Although she was only at the beginning of the 6-star rank, her efficiency in maintaining a defensive shield for others was far superior to that of her martial artist companions.
“Can you do it?”
“I’ll try.”
“Give me a more certain answer. If you can’t, I have to consider other methods.”
He wasn't trying to scold or pressure her. He simply didn't want to gamble his comrades' lives on an uncertain move.
If all the martial artists had been mages of a similar level, such a concern would have been unnecessary.
After a moment, Enya’s eyes widened, and she nodded.
“I can do it, Young Master. But please hold your position for just two minutes. I need that long to form a new spell formula.”
She was recalling a memory from the past.
—It might be difficult right now, but I will definitely pull my own weight. I don't want to remain someone who is only protected by you like today, Brother. So please, don't tell me it's okay to just be comfortable.
—Austin.
—I am the Contractor of Olta, Enya. One day, I will become the archmage you trust the most.
It was the conversation they had shared when they had gone to wipe out the remnants of the Dark Magic Association together.
Jin also smiled, recalling the same memory.
While she couldn't be called an archmage yet, she had achieved terrifyingly rapid growth while Jin was in Laprarosa. Enya’s talent was so exceptional that even Olta, notorious for obsessing over bloodlines, had offered a contract to a commoner.
“Understood.”
Enya sat cross-legged and deactivated her portion of the shield.
Naturally, the burden on the others increased, and Jin had no choice but to push his mana output to the very brink of backflow.
Enya’s eyes trembled as she began to weave the spell formula.
Two minutes felt like an eternity.
Yet, Enya managed to calm her racing heart and successfully completed the formula without falling into backflow.
The magic she prepared was one Jin had obtained for her near the end of his time as a reserve flagbearer.
Ultimate Defense.
It was the essence of Chukon Tolderer’s legacy—specifically, the ultimate defense magic Chukon had named the Dragon Fire Barrier.
The runic characters from the Book of Ultimate Defense glowed on Enya’s shoulders.
“Go, Young Master Jin!” Enya shouted, giving him a thumbs-up as blood trickled from her mouth. A deep blue barrier instantly formed around them.
The Dragon Fire Barrier was, as its name suggested, a magic Chukon had devised for battling dragons—a shield designed to block a dragon’s Breath.
Though she had not yet reached mastery, Enya was compensating for her lack of mana by borrowing Olta’s power.
“Then I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Three minutes remained.
Jin stepped outside the shield, a new magic already forming in his hands.
Simultaneous Casting.
It was one of the reasons Jin was a genius among geniuses, even as a mage. While holding the shield in Enya’s place, Jin had prepared a specific spell alongside the Spirit Sword he had readied earlier.
A magic that was practically poison to any magic user.
Heaven Reversal, the legacy of Kidad Hall.
‘The mana Lady Sarah is currently utilizing is only around the 8-star level.’
Her Karma Fire was shredding Murakan’s shadow like mulberry paper and reducing Quicantel’s authority to little more than a bothersome rope.
However, her actual mana was only at the 8-star level. It was the combination of 8-star mana, 9-star aura, and the unique power of a Runcandel magic swordsman that produced such might.
It was an amount of mana that Jin could, in theory, plunge into backflow.
Of course, he couldn't be certain.
‘She is such a formidable individual. Even in that state, she might be able to counter the power of Heaven Reversal while maintaining such a massive spell.’
That was why he had also prepared the Spirit Sword.
He would use the other forms of the Spirit Sword he had inherited from the Fighting Kings in Laprarosa.
Among them, Jin chose the 2nd Form and the 7th Form: Scissors and Shadow Assault.
‘Even if she falls into backflow, the opening will only last a moment. And no matter how injured Lady Sarah is, engaging her in close-quarters combat without Pluto’s Sovereign Sword is a suicidal act.’
Vring—!
The mana leaving Jin’s palm began to form the sphere of Heaven Reversal.
As the spell fully unfolded, the shadow beneath his feet rose up and merged with its master.