Chapter 410: Why Hairan? (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 410: Why Hairan? (4)
Of course, that could have been a leap in logic. They had only exchanged a single clash, after all. There was no concrete evidence that he was a Black Knight.
‘But that specific sense of crisis I used to feel whenever I faced the Black Knights… it’s far too similar.’
The only way to know for sure was to keep fighting. Jin thrust his sword forward once more.
Bradamante’s blade, wreathed in shadow energy, pushed between the swords of the two masked men. Dante seized the opening to strike at their backs.
The assailant Jin suspected of being a Black Knight drew a circle with his sword to block both their attacks simultaneously. The other masked man spun around, aiming for Dante’s throat.
It was a calculated move. Dante was already exhausted and was their primary target—eliminating him first was the logical choice.
“Urgh!”
Dante stepped back, unleashing a burst of sword energy. Despite his significant blood loss, his brilliant aura remained fierce.
Though they hadn't fought together many times, Jin and Dante read each other’s movements with a fluid ease, as if they had trained together for years. It was only natural that the tide of battle shifted. The assailants had to accept that their plan was falling apart.
Clang—!
Jin cut through the assailants' blades and took his place beside Dante.
Glancing down, Jin saw Dante’s grip on his sword trembling.
It wasn't from fear.
It was from pure indignation. The dozens of corpses scattered around them were either people Dante had tried to save or those who had died trying to save him.
—Dante!
—Yes, Grandfather!
—The knights cannot all assemble. The enemy has already surrounded the perimeter.
—Even the outside…!
—As the knight who will one day rule Sword Emperor Castle, take responsibility and evacuate the civilians.
When the incident began, Ron Hairan had given Dante that command.
But far from fulfilling his grandfather’s order, Dante felt he had only driven more people to their deaths.
Jin could see it all written on his friend’s face, and the sight weighed heavily on his heart.
“Dante, keep your head in the game.”
He couldn't offer comfort right now. This wasn't a problem that words could fix.
“……I know. Thanks to you, I’m getting a grip.”
The trembling in Dante’s hand stopped.
His eyes, now sunken with a darkness uncharacteristic of him, glared at the assailants. Yet, in stark contrast to that dark gaze, a brilliant aura—almost impossibly radiant—began to coat his blade.
‘Buy me some time.’
Even without words, Jin understood Dante’s intent.
The Imperial Sword. He was about to unleash a secret technique from Hairan’s legitimate line of succession.
Recognizing the stance, the assailants lunged forward. Jin blocked their path, ensuring Dante could gather his aura undisturbed.
One of them wasn't an issue, but the sword of the man on the level of a Black Knight was relentless. Every single strike carried the power of an ultimate technique from a high-ranking martial artist. Even a simple vertical slash, seemingly swung without effort, carried the weight of a mountain.
It was refined swordsmanship, devoid of any impurity—as pure and flawless as solid gold.
Those capable of wielding a sword like this were exceedingly rare. Black Knight. The name flashed through Jin’s mind once more.
Slice!
The other assailant’s blade grazed the bridge of Jin’s nose. The strike had been launched while the suspected Black Knight’s posture was momentarily broken; had Jin failed to react, his throat would have been slit.
The three blades clashed in a chaotic spray of sparks. The heat radiating from them was so intense that sweat and droplets of blood evaporated the moment they hit the air.
‘This is tight, damn it.’
On the surface, the battle seemed to be a stalemate.
That was only because the suspected Black Knight hadn't gone all out yet. Ever since Jin appeared, he had been strangely conserving his strength. Whether it was out of caution or because he had other intentions, Jin couldn't tell.
He had to reduce their numbers by at least one in the meantime.
‘I don’t know why he’s holding back, but I need to kill the weaker one now.’
Whoosh…!
Pitch-black spirit energy gathered around Jin. In an instant, coffin-like veils of shadow manifested throughout the area. Jin darted between them, firing off blasts of black sword energy, never forgetting to protect Dante in the process.
About ten seconds—that was how long Dante needed to fully manifest the Imperial Sword. If he were in peak condition, it wouldn't have taken nearly as long, but his severe blood loss made it unavoidable. Considering Dante’s chronic stamina issues, the fact that he could even attempt a secret technique was a feat in itself.
Slash—!
A bolt of black sword energy, fired from within a veil, severed the weaker assailant’s arm.
It was his sword arm. The moment the man flinched and tried to retrieve his weapon, Bradamante surged toward his throat.
Clang!
As expected, the suspected Black Knight stepped in to parry the blow.
‘How annoying…!’
But in that exact moment, Dante’s secret technique was complete. Faster than Jin or the assailants had anticipated, his sword was already sweeping toward them.
Like a miniature sun detonating, a blinding light filled the Great Hall.
Then came the sound. The distinct, sharp screech of a blade cutting through the air was amplified until it made their ears ring.
“Did you think… you could make light of Hairan?!”
A blade emerged from within the radiance.
It wasn't just one. From every corner of the light bathing the Great Hall, snow-white blades came pouring out.
Imperial Sword Secret Technique:
Sun.
That was the name of the sword Dante unleashed.
True to its name, the aura’s radiance filling the hall looked exactly like a sun. Even Jin’s veils of spirit energy were swallowed and hidden within its overwhelming light.
There were hundreds of swords.
The suspected Black Knight managed to block Jin’s blade, but he couldn't possibly stop every single sword born from the Sun.
Thwack! A blade pierced the back of the one-armed assailant.
He shuddered and tried to dodge, but there was no escaping the blades flying in from every direction. Before he could let out a single scream, more blades were piercing his abdomen, chest, throat, and head.
Soon, he vanished without a trace within the Sun. Even his flesh, bone, and blood seemed to turn to ash under the heat of the aura.
‘You’ve grown stronger, Dante.’
Hairan was the world’s second-greatest sword clan, rivaling Runcandel, and Dante was its next patriarch. He possessed power befitting that title.
Now, only the suspected Black Knight remained.
The swords of the Sun continued to rush toward him as well. However, unlike his fallen comrade, he displayed monstrous strength, parrying every single one of those hundreds of blades without missing a beat. Though his robes were being shredded to ribbons, after several seconds, Dante’s swords had still failed to land a direct hit.
‘He forced it out while exhausted, so the secret technique can’t exert its full power.’
Jin was right. Even if the opponent was a monster on the level of a Runcandel Black Knight, it should have been impossible to emerge from Dante’s secret technique without a single scratch.
Dante emerged from the fading radiance. Indignation flared within him at the fact that he couldn't overcome the assailant even with the Sun, but his eyes remained cold and sharp.
Huff, huff…!
Jin could hear Dante’s breathing beside him. It was several times more ragged than when Jin had first arrived. He sensed that Dante had reached his absolute limit.
The suspected Black Knight realized this as well. He clearly recognized that it was a miracle Dante was even still standing.
“If you use any more power, you might die, Next Patriarch of Hairan.”
For the first time, the man spoke. His voice was distorted and muffled. But even if it were his real voice, Jin only knew a few Black Knights by sound, so it made no difference.
‘As I thought, he’s not trying to kill Dante.’
If the goal was simply the destruction of Hairan, killing Dante was the best course of action. They’d had countless opportunities to do so. The only reason this man had dragged out the fight despite his overwhelming skill was that he intended to capture Dante alive.
“My life is not for the honorless to worry about.”
The masked man shook his head.
“You look like you can barely stand. If a Reverse Flow starts now, you’ll be a cripple for the rest of your life. Are you truly okay with that?”
The assailant was right. Under normal circumstances, it might be different, but right now, Hairan’s top healers couldn't treat Dante immediately. Becoming a cripple, losing his aura, or dying—those were the only outcomes Dante faced if a Reverse Flow began.
‘And in that case, his value as a hostage drops drastically. That’s the outcome this bastard wants to avoid most.’
The assailant’s goal was to kidnap Dante. Kinzelo would likely use him later to negotiate with Hairan or other families. If Dante wasn't in one piece, it would inevitably cause problems for them.
But naturally, Dante was in no mood to back down. He was a man who would never retreat or make a humiliating choice, no matter the circumstances. Jin couldn't even imagine Dante begging for his life or compromising his beliefs for some "efficient" outcome.
‘That’s exactly why you’re so cool, and why I like you, but…’
He couldn't just stand by and watch his friend become a cripple or die.
“I told you, it is not a matter for you to worry—!”
Crack!
Jin struck the side of Dante’s neck with the edge of his hand.
“Gah, cough!”
Dante immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed forward. He didn't even have the chance to question Jin or get angry. Jin had struck with barely controlled force, a blow that bordered on lethal.
If he hadn't, there would have been no way to stop his stubborn friend.
‘Whether it’s Veradin or Dante, I seem to be knocking them out like this quite often.’
The fallen Dante twitched once and then went still.
Jin immediately checked his pulse and looked for signs of a Reverse Flow. Fortunately, he seemed to have simply lost consciousness.
“Whew.”
Jin let out a sigh of relief. A slight mistake and that blow could have triggered the very Reverse Flow he was trying to prevent. It had been a massive gamble.
The golden aura of the Sun that had bathed the Great Hall faded completely.
A brief silence hung between Jin and the last remaining assailant.
“No matter how I look at it… I’m sure you’re a Runcandel Black Knight.”
With a flick of his wrist, Jin spun Bradamante and pointed it at the masked man.
“If you are a Black Knight, I suggest you just leave. Is it really a profitable trade, making an enemy of a future leader of your own clan just to take down Hairan?”
Whoosh…! Flare!
Jin channeled spirit energy into Bradamante, and the blue flames of Tess ignited along its blade.