Chapter 414: Why Hairan (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 414: Why Hairan (8)
This time, before Ron’s invisible sword energy could block the cannon blast, a blade of energy shining an even fiercer blue than the cannon fire itself intercepted it.
It was a sight that left everyone on the battlefield in awe.
The collision between Linpa’s sword energy and the main battery of the Gruneil looked as if two massive pillars of light had interlocked.
Flash—!
The cannon blast shattered, raining blue fragments down like hail. This time, however, the other warriors didn't need to deal with the fallout.
Right behind the blue sword energy, Ron’s invisible blade swept the fragments from the sky. Like dust caught in a gale, the shards vanished without a trace.
Witnessing this, Joe couldn't help but scream.
“My god, what in the world is happening?!”
Tilt—!
The ship Gruneil suddenly lurched to one side. Linpa’s sword energy had sliced through the cannon fire, pierced the transparent shield, and dealt a direct blow to the hull.
Such a feat was only possible in a single strike because Ron had already damaged the shield.
It was superhuman strength on a completely different dimension.
With that single blow, Linpa inspired a profound sense of awe in the warriors on the ground. This was the true martial prowess of the 4th Fighting King of the Pluto Tribe—the strongest combat race, now lost to time.
Since the world at large knew little of the Pluto Tribe, they simply assumed she was one of Jin’s companions. They could only marvel that such a monstrous being was fighting on his behalf.
“Aaaah! Uncle Joe! Didn't you say we’d be safe the moment we got back to the ship?!” Margiella shrieked.
While Jin and the masked assailant were fighting, she had been rescued along with Vishkel and Bubar and was now receiving treatment inside the ship.
“That’s how it should have been, but an unexpected variable appeared…”
“Margiella, your wound opened. Don’t move.”
“Ugh! My—my back! Lord Vishkel, my back!”
“Shut up, Bubar!”
Joe stood up, leaning on his staff, and reassessed the situation.
He had been too flustered to see clearly at first, but now he was certain. The one who had struck the hull was undoubtedly a member of the Pluto Tribe.
They were the very foundation of the bio-golems he was researching: the ‘Artisan’s Masterpieces.’
“The—the Pluto Tribe…!”
Joe’s eyes rolled back as a manic grin spread across his face.
“It’s the Pluto Tribe, Margiella! If we secure a specimen—a specimen!—we can surely manufacture a perfect Artisan’s Masterpiece… Gack!”
Boom—!
Another shockwave rocked the interior of the ship.
This time, it was the result of Ron’s invisible sword energy slamming into the bow. The shield hadn't completely shattered, so the ship didn't take the full brunt of the invisible sword's power, but the impact was still enough to throw the interior into chaos.
“Aaaah!”
“Margiella!”
“My—my back! My back!”
“The specimen! We must capture the specimen…!”
As they all reflexively cried out, something pitch-black shot toward the windows at the bow. At a glance, it looked like a boulder kicked up from the ground by the storm of sword energy, but for a split second, the Kinzelo members inside saw a pair of eyes flash within the dark shape.
It was Linpa.
With a single leap from the outer castle wall, she had reached the bow of the Gruneil. The section of the wall she had launched from crumbled, unable to withstand the force of her push-off.
The Kinzelo members gasped. In the next moment, they were faced with Linpa’s greatsword.
It was as if a colossal beast from myth had swung its claws. The arc her greatsword carved through the air was wide enough to span the entire breadth of the Gruneil.
Screeeech—! Crackle!
Vivid blue sword energy clawed at the hull.
The Gruneil’s altitude dropped instantly, and the various complex devices decorating its exterior shattered, falling away like dust.
Thump!
Linpa landed on the ground, creating a deep, semi-circular crater.
Before the vibrations from her landing even subsided, she leaped again, this time aiming for the ship's underbelly.
Even Barton, who was a Black Knight, used sword energy as propulsion, but the Linpa siblings… they just jump and fly.
Jin had known since his training in Laprarosa that Linpa was among the stronger Fighting Kings, but this was his first time seeing her exert her full power.
The memory of teasing Linpa about her Vow of Silence flashed through his mind. Thinking back on it now made him feel a little lightheaded.
Crrraaaaack—!
When Linpa’s greatsword struck the lower hull, it punched a gaping black hole through the metal. It was a simple, unremarkable thrust, yet it sent a crack the size of a house spreading across the ship's frame.
Just as Linpa was about to land again, a sudden storm of lightning enveloped the Gruneil. It was a discharge of electricity even more violent than the hellish cannon fire that had rained down on the Sword Emperor Castle only moments ago.
Linpa appeared to be caught in the lightning, unable to land.
An unexpected strike while she was vulnerable in mid-air—the same thought crossed the minds of all the warriors watching.
Can Jin’s companion really be okay after being caught in that storm?
By any martial artist's common sense, it seemed unlikely. Given her prowess, they expected her to survive, but not without injury.
It looked as if tens of thousands of thunderbolts had coiled around the Gruneil. The area around the Sword Emperor Castle was bathed in brilliant blue light, stretching the shadows of those on the ground.
Meanwhile, Ron and Verakt’s swords continued to clash. Ron had regained some of his composure, but he looked somewhat fatigued from protecting the entire Sword Emperor Castle.
Of course, fatigue did nothing to diminish the Sword Emperor's dignity. Despite the blood he had shed and his exhaustion, Ron’s invisible sword only grew sharper by the moment.
Jin was still on the outer wall, steadying his body as he looked down on the battlefield. Naturally, he wasn't the least bit worried about Linpa being trapped in the lightning.
I didn't know they had an attack like that besides the cannons. Idiots. That’s only going to provoke her.
Rumble…!
The lightning storm began to dissipate. And, defying everyone’s expectations except Jin’s, Linpa descended to the ground, completely unharmed.
The first words she uttered upon landing were:
“Imitating… our power… fake. Displeasing…”
The lightning energy gathered in her greatsword flared with an even sharper light.
Linpa did not leap toward the ship again. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Ron and Verakt.
She had already damaged the ship enough to cripple its functions, so she decided that killing the enemies on the ground was now the priority.
The White Wolf Tribe.
In fact, Linpa had been in a strange mood ever since she was summoned, having caught the distinct scent of the White Wolf Tribe.
It felt like coming across an old toy she had forgotten about…
Sensing her gaze, Verakt put some distance between himself and Ron. His breathing was now heavy and ragged.
“Come then, you too. I’ll take you both on at once,” Verakt declared, his voice filled with a grand energy.
The title of Great Warrior of the White Wolf Tribe was not something easily earned.
It was no small feat to suppress the absolute fear of the Pluto Tribe with sheer willpower—a fear carved into their very blood over thousands of years.
Among the beastmen alive today, those who could suppress that fear with sheer will could be counted on one hand.
From Verakt’s perspective, his challenge to take on Linpa as well was no bluff. As a warrior who had reached the pinnacle himself, he possessed absolute confidence in his own martial prowess.
But to Linpa, it sounded no different from the barking of a puppy.
“You lot… then and now… when scared, you bark first. For a White Wolf… you seem… decent, though.”
Linpa and Ron charged at Verakt simultaneously.
There was no avoiding it. Verakt raised his greatsword to block both blades at once, but the ground beneath his feet instantly gave way.
“I do not know who you are, but thank you. Thanks to you, my knights can catch their breath.”
If this fight had been a one-on-one duel for honor, Ron would never have allowed Linpa to intervene.
But to Ron, this was simply the extermination of terrorists and beasts who had attacked the Sword Emperor Castle. There was no need to consider honor when hunting beasts more efficiently.
“Give your thanks… to my brother… I will not remember today anyway.”
This was the primary reason Jin was reluctant to call upon his siblings unless absolutely necessary.
Strictly speaking, the members of the Pluto Tribe who came to the human world through Shadow Calling were more like guardians made of spirit energy and souls than actual summons.
When those souls returned to Laprarosa, they would forget everything they had experienced in the human world.
Jin felt it was a cruel fate for siblings who had already perished and been forgotten.
“Is Jin Runcandel your brother?”
Ron hadn't personally witnessed Linpa emerge from the black gate, as he had been busy dealing with Verakt. He had been, after all, essentially defending the entire Sword Emperor Castle on his own.
“He is.”
“I shall convey my gratitude to him personally after the battle is over.”
“In front of me, you dare…!”
Verakt let out a roar and swung his greatsword upward, but it was impossible for him to withstand the strength of two opponents at once.
His blood-stained fur and flesh were being torn apart.
If he had aerial support, he wouldn't have been pushed back this far, but the Gruneil was unable to gather its lightning as quickly as before.
Total destruction.
That was Jin's goal: to smash the Gruneil and, if possible, end the lives of Verakt and the rest of the Kinzelo.
However, there was one concern he kept in mind.
If the battle turns this far against them, there’s a high chance that 'Leader' fellow will show up… Just like during the Dark Magic Association incident, he could grab them and escape.
But Ron and Linpa weren't the only ones on the battlefield.
Murakan, Quicantel, and the other dragons were still in the sky, and since fragments were no longer falling, the warriors on the ground could rejoin the fight.
Even if he came, he wouldn't be able to escape as easily as before.
Jin gritted his teeth and came to that conclusion. At that moment—
Shhhhh…!
Suddenly, ‘iron fragments’ began to gather in front of the Gruneil’s bow.
Recognizing the Steel Gate, Murakan landed beside Jin and flared his energy.
Jin. It’s him.
“Yeah, I figured he’d show up. Speak of the devil.”
Murakan's brow furrowed in displeasure.
Fortunately, before the Kinzelo Leader’s Steel Gate could fully form, Jin had recovered enough to prepare a spell.
“Let’s deal with that, Murakan,” Jin said, drawing up his mana.