Chapter 461: People with Good Instincts, People with Bad Instincts (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 461: People with Good Instincts, People with Bad Instincts (5)
But that’s not Bubar’s voice.
It lacked the stifled, petty quality characteristic of Bubar’s speech, as if his words were always being squeezed through layers of fat. It also didn’t have his usual neurotic tone.
This was a woman’s voice—clear, yet lowered with rage.
It’s not Margiella’s voice either. Then who is it?
Someone else from Kinzelo? Or perhaps Amela?
The moment the question surfaced, a massive, turbid sphere of energy gathered in the open mouth of the Bubar-shaped entity.
Despite the sudden appearance of the giant and its impending breath attack, the members of the Great Powers didn't panic. They were already deploying their shields. As elites resistant to most mental attacks, they maintained their composure even in the face of such an unprecedented phenomenon.
Wooooong—!
The sphere of energy expanded rapidly, emitting an intense vibration that threatened to detonate at any moment. Even a rough estimate suggested the energy about to be unleashed would be catastrophic.
Just before the breath erupted, the shields of the Great Powers flashed brilliantly. The attack first slammed into the position held by the Runcandels.
“Haaaaah!”
A man at the forefront of the Runcandel camp let out a thunderous shout.
It felt as if he had split the breath in half with that roar alone. The torrent of energy was severed before the sound could even echo, though in reality, it was the man’s sword that had done the work.
Unusual for a Runcandel, he wielded a sword and shield as his primary armament, unleashing a tremendous surge of power with every roar.
So Vigo came for the Runcandels.
Vigo Runcandel, Cyron’s fourth son and the family’s 6th Flagbearer. Behind him, Guardian Knights and two Enforcement Knights maintained a protective barrier.
I thought Joshua would come personally. Is he busy elsewhere?
Since Amela was one of the few significant neutral powers remaining, Jin had expected the family to send one of its highest-ranking Flagbearers. He had anticipated someone between the 1st and 4th Flagbearers—one of his top-tier siblings.
Vigo was by no means lacking, but given the gravity of the situation, their enemies would surely have sent individuals capable of matching a high-ranking Runcandel Flagbearer.
However, as Jin turned his gaze toward the Zipple camp, he realized they hadn't sent their top brass either.
Midore Elner...?
His face was the first Jin identified. The breath attack, which had been striking the Runcandels, suddenly veered toward the Zipples, obscuring the others. Still, there seemed to be no one of higher status than him present.
He was the illegitimate son of Kelliark Zipple and the man who had come to rescue Myuron Zipple during the massacre of the Colon natives. Jin had a score to settle with him.
Back then, Jin had nearly died in Colon because of Kelliark’s authority, ‘Space Explosion,’ which Midore had manifested.
Grit!
Jin’s teeth clenched reflexively at the memory.
However, while Midore had caused him a great deal of trouble, he had ultimately been useful. It was thanks to him that Jin had learned Kelliark could ‘divide’ his spatial abilities.
Jin also surveyed the forces of Kinzelo and the Imperial family.
Aside from the giant Bubar, none of the Kinzelo executives Jin knew were in sight. The Imperial forces all had their faces covered, but they appeared to consist only of the Special Task Force and the Imperial Guard.
Even if Hairan couldn't participate due to recent terror attacks and political pressure, the heads of the Empire’s greatest families—or at least those of equivalent status—should have come. Instead, only their subordinates were present.
Of course, the individuals from each faction currently in the Gaifa Archipelago were powerful enough to command respect anywhere in the world. But as representatives in a power struggle between the Four Great Powers, they felt distinctly underwhelming.
[Hey, kid. Didn't you say you’d need my prestige?] Murakan spoke.
Bubar’s breath was now heading toward the Imperial forces after striking Kinzelo, and Murakan scoffed at the sight.
[Good grief. Is that some kind of wind-up toy? I’ve never seen anyone cough up a breath like that. It’s hilarious how it gets weaker every time it hits something. Anyway, it looks like there’s no one here who needs my prestige. It’s annoying to admit, but you’re more famous than any of them, aren’t you?]
“Comparing them to my Lord is an insult in itself,” Rata chimed in.
[You were glaring at me with those snake eyes at first, but you’ve gotten quite good at flattery.]
“Thank you, Murakan,” Jin said. “But I think… the people who were supposed to be here are probably gathered somewhere else.”
He had already reached that conclusion.
There’s something else going on that I don’t know about—something much bigger than Amela…!
Otherwise, there was no reason for only people of Vigo’s level to be gathered here. He couldn't immediately think of what could be important enough for the major powers to abandon their claim on Amela.
He felt as if he had been completely blindsided.
[Huh? Where would the people who are supposed to be here be gathered?]
“They have something more important than Amela. I have no idea what that is at the moment.”
[So we’ve been played? Before we even did anything here in the Gaifa Archipelago?]
Meanwhile, the giant Bubar was gathering its breath once again.
“Not necessarily,” Jin said.
[Why?]
“Since lower-tier competitors have arrived, we can just clean this up as quickly as possible and head to where the others are.”
[Assuming no one else has claimed that ‘something more important’ by then.]
“That’s a matter of luck. But hasn't our luck been pretty good lately?”
Both when firing the first breath and while preparing the second, the giant Bubar moved with agonizing slowness. Despite this, the various factions seemed unable to respond effectively.
They couldn't even counterattack properly. Warriors fired sword energy from their positions, and mages unleashed long-range spells, but most of their attacks were far weaker than what they should have been capable of. It was as if they were all being hindered by some invisible force, preventing them from showing their true strength. The few outstanding individuals among them, like Vigo and the Enforcement Knights, were busy protecting those who couldn't hold their own.
The factions hadn't even noticed Murakan and his party floating in the sky yet. As the turbid energy, the breath, and the shields collided, insane clouds of dust billowed up, and the elites were far too preoccupied with protecting their subordinates.
“My Lord, with the exception of a few, everyone is moving as if they’ve been poisoned by a neurotoxin,” Rata observed.
“It’s definitely because of that proliferating black energy,” Fey added. “Just like what we saw on the island earlier, it seems to drive anyone below 7-star completely mad.”
“Sir Rata, are you still sure it’s not a poison or a hallucinogen?”
“I am, my Lord. Earlier, I judged it by the lack of a lingering scent, but given the scale and color, if it were a poison, there is a specific smell it would have to emit. The types of poisonous plants that produce this color are limited.”
Murakan lowered his flight altitude, circling around the black energy. Since the other factions hadn't spotted them yet, he decided it was best to remain hidden for as long as possible.
However, as they drew closer to the turbid energy radiating from the giant Bubar, a change began to occur in the Prochi siblings.
“Ugh!”
“My Lord…!”
Rata and Fey suddenly clutched their heads. They let out groans of pain, their hands flying from Murakan’s scales. The protective shields they had deployed as a precaution were proving useless against the turbid energy.
“Sir Rata?! Fey!”
Jin caught the two before they could fall. Though only a few seconds had passed since they had approached the energy, the Prochi siblings had turned deathly pale and were drenched in sweat.
“Get a hold of yourselves!”
[Hey, hey! What’s wrong with you two all of a sudden?]
“Murakan! Get out of the turbid energy for now—ugh!”
Slice!
Something sharp grazed the collar of Jin’s coat. Because he had reacted and dodged in a hurry, only the front of his collar was slightly cut. The claws had originally been aimed at his throat.
They were Fey’s claws.
As Jin’s eyes widened, he saw Fey’s skin changing. It had shifted to a hue strikingly similar to the giant Bubar’s turbid energy.
Then, with all her might, Fey shook her head one last time—a final, desperate gesture to convey that this was not her will. In the next instant, she completely lost her reason.
“Kyah!”
As Fey lunged again, Jin threw a punch to knock her unconscious.
Crack. He felt her jaw shift from the impact, but Fey continued her assault as if she hadn't taken any damage at all.
Beside her, Rata was hunched over, his body trembling violently. He could no longer hold onto Murakan’s scales. He was struggling with all his might to resist the energy polluting his mind. Since Rata’s cultivation was higher than Fey’s, he was able to resist a bit longer, but he looked as precarious as a thread about to snap.
“Urgh… My, my Lord…!”
“Sir Rata!”
“Something… in my head…!”
At that moment, Murakan ascended, escaping the turbid energy.
[Ha! Unbelievable. What was that? Kid, do they look like they’re coming to their senses?]
Simultaneously, Rata and Fey’s eyes and skin returned to normal, but the siblings gasped for breath, the shock still wracking their bodies.
What is that turbid energy? Why does it only affect Sir Rata and Fey? It completely ignored their shields.
As the Prochi siblings said, it wasn't poison. The Ten Thousand Poison Liquor in his body wasn't reacting at all. Yet, the turbid energy produced effects almost identical to a poison, or an incredibly potent drug or hallucinogen.
The members of the Great Powers were also struggling with it, so it wasn't specifically targeting the Prochi siblings. Even the most outstanding individuals in each faction weren't completely free from its influence.
In other words, the only ones in the Gaifa Archipelago unaffected by the turbid energy were Jin and Murakan.
Something that affects everyone in the world but cannot harm me or Murakan.
A single word flashed through his mind.
A curse!
He was right. The turbid energy covering the entire island was the energy of a curse. That was why only Jin, the Contractor of Shadows, and Murakan, a Black Dragon, remained unaffected.
If I evacuate Sir Rata and Fey and move alone, I’ll have the greatest advantage among all the factions in this situation.
Just as he was about to tell Murakan to fly to another island, something changed.
[Agh, what now! All of a sudden!]
Suddenly, the turbid energy stretched out from Bubar like tentacles. Murakan avoided them without difficulty, but…
The Rata siblings leaped down into the turbid energy as if possessed.
Then, the tentacle-like energy transformed into something resembling a cradle, wrapping around the siblings and pulling them inside.