Chapter 389: Who is the Real Runcandel? (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 389: Who is the Real Runcandel? (9)
The power of the Pluto Tribe’s Fighting God erupted over the molten sparring ground.
They were the strongest beings to ever walk the earth, those who had challenged the gods as the world’s overlords five thousand years ago. Amidst the fierce, blue lightning that embodied their very spirit, Jin met the eyes of the Runcandels fixed upon him.
Fear filled the eyes of the knights being protected; bewilderment, the eyes of the Runcandels protecting them. Every single one of them was gritting their teeth.
Who could have predicted it? That the 12th Flagbearer, the one who held the lowest seat, would unleash such power against the entire Runcandel clan. And this was after the Karma Fire had already swept through.
[And I shall issue one command to all members of the family below the rank of Flagbearer.]
His voice was resonant and layered, as if dozens of Plutos spoke in unison. Awe washed over the family at the sound.
Though they had never met a Fighting God of the Pluto Tribe, they instinctively recognized the divine aura pouring from Jin.
[You will ensure that not a single guardian knight falls to my blade. Protect them with everything you have.]
Crackle—!
The lightning enveloping Jin’s body swirled, throwing off sparks of brilliant blue flame. In his grip, his hands stained blue by lightning down to the very nails, the pale light of Sigmund—the divine sword of the Plutos—stood in stark contrast.
It was a pallor that seemed to be the very color of death itself.
The heat of the Karma Fire had not yet dissipated, and now the lightning of the Pluto’s Sovereign Sword was added to the fray.
The air was hot enough to melt stone and heavy in their lungs, yet the Runcandels were paradoxically gripped by a chilling sensation, as if they were touching a corpse.
“Everyone, get back! Get away...!”
As the sword began to trace its trajectory, the first person to scream in desperation was none other than Luntia.
She had been careless.
She’d thought she could end this whenever she pleased, that she could kill her youngest brother the moment she chose. But he had become a monster, one far beyond her expectations.
She should have realized it sooner. He wasn't an opponent she could defeat simply by matching his resolve, with an arrogant thought like, ‘I’ll just put my life on the line, too.’
She blinked, and all she saw was her youngest brother's sword rushing toward her, trailing lightning in its wake.
It moved with the speed of a thunderbolt, and the power in that single strike rivaled any blade Luntia had ever faced.
Her body could not react instantly. Her momentary lapse—raising her voice out of concern for the knights behind her—proved fatal.
Slash—!
Crimson blood sprayed from the center of Luntia’s chest. Had she been even a single step slower in her retreat, her body would have been split in half.
“Urgh!”
Fortunately, there was no organ damage.
The wound, however, was by no means shallow, and Luntia’s focus wavered once more.
Before she could even regain her stance, the lightning from Sigmund engulfed her.
An agonizing pain erupted, as if her entire body were being burned alive.
A Steel Body that surpassed even Luna’s.
How much pain had she endured to forge this physique?
After Luna renounced her claim to the throne, Luntia had briefly carried the expectations of many as a potential alternative.
There was a reason Luna found Luntia strangely difficult to deal with and was soft on her. Luna had watched from the sidelines as Luntia drove herself to the brink of death—again and again—to forge such a body.
That was how she had earned her Steel Body.
It was a physique forged from the miserable conclusion that life held nothing but boredom and pain, and that peace could only be found by ceasing all thought and action.
That Steel Body was now breaking.
Flesh tore, bones were cut, and blood burst forth. The bone-chilling pain burrowing into her wounds took her breath away.
‘Damn it…!’
Gritting her teeth, Luntia thrust Charles forward.
It was difficult to even pinpoint Jin’s location through the lightning that covered the area like a thick fog. With every passing second, the stinging bolts of electricity threatened to blind her, filling her with dread.
But in that moment, what echoed in Luntia’s mind was not the desire to escape, or even the will to survive.
‘The knights will die if this continues.’
Her mother was here, as were the Flagbearers, the pillars of the Elder Council, and the Enforcement Knights. No matter how incredible the power Jin was showing, it was absurd to think he could surpass them all.
But fighting and protecting were two entirely different things.
In this storm of lightning, could the other powerhouses truly protect every single knight standing on the brink of death?
She couldn't be sure. Above all, there was no one to protect her own knights—the ones who had been the first to jump in to block the Karma Fire.
Because she, their lord, was busy fighting Jin.
And more than anything…
‘Mother is not the kind of person who protects her knights.’
Luntia ground her teeth. Rosa was still sitting in the high seat, making no move to intervene.
Luntia’s certainty didn't stem from hatred.
It was simply that Rosa Runcandel, her mother…
Was the type of person who wouldn't bother saving guardian knights who could be swept away like chaff by the 12th Flagbearer’s sword.
She would either deem them useless to the Runcandel family or use this as an opportunity to ensure only the strongest knights remained in the Garden of Swords. That was the Rosa Luntia knew.
It was the Rosa everyone knew.
She was precisely the kind of person to do such a thing.
Just as when the Karma Fire had erupted, no screams were heard. But Luntia knew, as did everyone else.
They knew how agonizingly the guardian knights, seared by flame and lightning, were screaming inside.
A new light of Aura gathered on Charles.
She had made her decision.
“Youngest… you have shown me a glorious sword. I suppose I must answer with a blade worthy of it.”
The eyes that had been filled with murderous intent and shock now held a new will.
It was a sense of responsibility as a Flagbearer, something she had forgotten for a long time.
Runcandel 3rd Secret Technique
Golden Ring Eclipse
As Luntia thrust Charles forward, a single, egg-sized circle appeared in the lightning-filled air. The circle glowed with an alien light, as if refusing any and all intrusion.
Clang—!
Sigmund, which Jin had thrust toward the circle, was repelled.
It was shocking that Sigmund, empowered by the Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, could be deflected. Furthermore, the circle of the Golden Ring Eclipse was growing larger, expanding its domain.
Despite its power to repel Sigmund, Jin felt a strange lack of threat from the Golden Ring Eclipse.
‘A Decisive Technique? Or a Secret Technique? Either way, I feel a strange dissonance from this sword.’
It was a blade with absolutely no killing intent.
It didn't take long for Jin to realize the technique’s purpose was not slaughter.
As he suspected, the 3rd Secret Technique, Golden Ring Eclipse, was the only sword in the Runcandel style designed to protect others. The solid Aura forming the circle acted as a shield.
His conclusion was simple.
‘I just have to break it.’
Lightning and the blood of the Fighting God surged within his Heart of Light. If it didn't crumble in one strike, he would simply wrap himself in deeper, more immense power and swing again.
He had no intention of stopping today just because he was pushing his body to its limits.
Nor did he intend to use only enough force to keep his opponent alive. He would see this through to the very end, whatever that might be.
This was the same power that had withstood the greatsword of Silderay, one of the Ten Great Knights.
No matter how sturdy the Golden Ring Eclipse Luntia manifested was, it could not block the Pluto’s Sovereign Sword forever.
Crackle, Boom—!
As Sigmund flashed once more, the result was the same. The blade was repelled by the now-larger ring of the Golden Ring Eclipse.
However, amidst the flickering Aura and lightning, Jin saw it clearly. He saw Luntia cough up a mouthful of blood after blocking the second strike.
She had already been heavily wounded before she even activated the Golden Ring Eclipse.
It was questionable whether she could have blocked the Pluto’s Sovereign Sword even if her body had been whole. Having activated it while severely injured, it was only natural that she was struggling.
She was putting her life on the line.
But the meaning was different from the resolve she’d had when she first faced Jin. It wasn't a resolve to kill Jin, but a resolve to protect her knights from him.
The roar of sword clashing against the ring filled the air.
Not a single word could be exchanged, but Jin understood her mindset.
He had seen the faces of those trying to save people many times before.
‘Second Sister is not someone to be taken lightly.’
In fact, he felt relieved.
If she was doing her utmost to stop the Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, then the innocent guardian knights wouldn't be slaughtered.
However, even so…
He had no intention of coating his blade in mercy.
Jin swung Sigmund with the mindset that it didn't matter if Luntia died.
The entire family was watching.
If he showed any weakness, his declaration would lose all meaning.
‘If you survive this, I shall acknowledge you as a worthy rival, Sister.’
Crunch, Crack!
It was as if massive fangs were tearing prey apart. Under the relentless barrage of strikes falling upon the ring, Luntia’s bleeding intensified.
Conversely, Sigmund only grew fiercer. The lightning trailing the blade poured down onto the Golden Ring Eclipse like a torrential rain.
The blade of Charles, which supported the ring, was trembling. She had been enduring more than fifty percent of the Pluto’s Sovereign Sword’s power alone for over thirty exchanges; her limit was approaching.
Suddenly, the form of the lightning striking the ring changed.
Fighting God Technique 3rd Sword: Judgment.
The spikes of Judgment, imbued with the power of the Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, possessed an overwhelming energy that stood out even amidst the lightning consuming the surroundings.
As five spikes pushed in simultaneously, the ring of the Golden Ring Eclipse finally shattered. Luntia did not let go of Charles until the very end, but…
The lightning of the Pluto’s Sovereign Sword and Judgment had already swept past her, flying toward the knights holding their ground outside.
Just as he was about to release another burst of lightning, Jin saw Luntia’s silhouette, frozen in the same posture she had used to manifest the Golden Ring Eclipse.
Whether she had lost consciousness or died, he didn't need to check.
Jin began to walk forward with heavy strides.
His gaze was fixed on Rosa, who sat in the high seat like a patriarch. It was time to destroy that seat.
Just as he was about to release his lightning once more…
Tap…
Suddenly, something hard and sharp lightly poked Jin’s back.
It was Luntia’s sword, Charles.
Even so, Jin did not turn around. He knew that barely touching his back with Charles was the last bit of strength she had left.
Jin felt that what had touched his back was not the sword, but the will of the one holding it.
A will he could respect as a fellow warrior and as a sibling.
Thud—!
As Luntia finally collapsed, Jin and Rosa’s eyes met.
[Can you truly afford to remain seated like that?]