Chapter 468: Massacre, and the Strange... (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 468: Massacre, and the Strange... (2)
Murakan had no intention of forgiving Sandra Zipple’s insolence.
He didn't need to glance at Jin for permission, nor did he need to choose his words.
He simply had to make her pay the price for his displeasure.
Swoooosh…!
At Murakan’s will, the spirit energy and the embers of Azure Fire flickering near Sandra pulsed.
Without a sound, the embers instantly sharpened into the shape of awls.
Then, they lunged at Sandra as swiftly as a diving hawk.
There were eight in total. The Zipple mages were already on the verge of collapse from enduring the Karma Fire, and most failed to react at all.
A few, including Midore, noticed Murakan’s attack but didn't dare step forward.
They had no idea what terrible fate might befall them if they tried to help her.
Surprisingly, Sandra managed to dodge three of the eight spikes. She moved with a light, agile grace unbecoming of a mage, then neutralized another three by deploying a shield.
The remaining two, however, were a problem.
“Ugh!”
Thwack!
One pierced Sandra’s shoulder and the other her calf. A spray of blood and shredded flesh marked the grievous wounds.
Murakan looked down at Sandra, who lay trembling on the ground.
To inflict such a wound on a Pure-blooded Zipple without a moment's hesitation was an act possible only for one with the martial prowess to back it up. It was a clear signal of his readiness to wage all-out war against the entire Zipple clan.
At least, that was the conclusion the members of the other great powers were forced to draw as they watched.
‘He spoke of interrogating the Acting Patriarch, the Black Panther Rosa Runcandel… Could it be that Murakan isn't just a symbolic guardian but the one holding the true power in Runcandel? Power exceeding even the Acting Patriarch’s?’
‘In that case, the current head of Runcandel might actually be the Black Dragon Murakan…’
‘If so, where does the 12th Flagbearer stand in their hierarchy?’
‘Regardless, Sandra Zipple is finished. To think she’d act so flippantly after seeing the White Wolf Tribe’s greatest warrior reduced to nothing but ankles in an instant… Has living as a Zipple for so long made her numb to fear?’
Such were the thoughts running through the minds of the special task force members.
The White Wolf and Red Tiger tribesmen of Kinzelo couldn't even think. They could only look around, paralyzed by terror.
‘It’s not just Sandra Zipple who’s finished. The Zipple reinforcements were our only hope of survival…!’
Panic flared in Latz’s eyes.
He was certain that Murakan’s earlier claim—that not a single person would leave this place alive—was no empty boast.
With the forces currently present, they couldn't inflict any meaningful damage on Murakan, let alone fight him.
Thus, Latz had judged that their only chance of survival was to cling to the Zipples' coattails.
But Sandra had failed to activate the Tower Master’s staff and had been critically wounded in a single exchange.
And she would likely die soon.
Latz felt like screaming.
The Tower Master is you, not Sandra, Midore Elner! Activate the staff!
“The only reason I did not kill you instantly is because I am curious what kind of confidence birthed such arrogance. Puppet? Puppeteer? Say those words again, Zipple.”
At that cold, low voice, goosebumps erupted on the arms of the great powers’ members once more.
“Haa… haaa…”
Sandra gasped for breath. Everyone naturally assumed her breathing had quickened because she was drowning in the terror of death.
In truth, she was merely surprised that the pain was greater than she had expected.
Click, whirrr…
Suddenly, a sound like turning gears echoed from somewhere.
The sound was coming from Sandra. Those watching had to doubt their own eyes.
The holes in her shoulder and thigh were closing at an incredible speed.
‘She—she’s healing. A human!’
The White Wolf and Red Tiger tribesmen had never seen a human perform super-regeneration.
Latz and his subordinates, on the other hand, widened their eyes in pure shock.
‘Has Zipple’s biological experimentation already advanced to this level? It’s on par with the Demon procedures the Imperial Guard underwent!’
Biological experiments.
Zipple, Viment, and Kinzelo had all been conducting them for a long time. Zipple sought to create the perfect Bio-Golem, Viment to create Demons, and Kinzelo to create Master Artisans.
Viment had recently felt confident that they were the clear leaders in the field. But their work was still experimental and unstable, as proven when Rick Helter, a former section leader of the Imperial Guard, lost his mind after transforming into a Demon.
Yet the super-regeneration Sandra just displayed was on the level of a Demon, and she had maintained her sanity.
In Latz’s mind, this was impossible unless she had undergone a Bio-Golem procedure—and unless that procedure was superior to the Demonization magic developed by the Empire.
‘There must be someone within the Empire leaking information to Zipple. It’s highly likely…’
While Latz gnashed his teeth, Jin, a beat late, also watched Sandra’s regeneration.
He had just emerged from the core of the shattered Turbid Energy, having suppressed his presence with spirit energy as much as possible.
He felt the need to personally confirm how the situation was unfolding.
‘…Healing!? Super-regeneration?’
He had never dreamed he would see super-regeneration from Sandra, especially after seeing it from Amela. As Murakan had said while looking at Amela, super-regeneration was the specialty of inner-core monsters or demons.
Amela possessed the unique powers of Chaos and Turbid Energy and had been in an amplified state, so it made sense for her.
‘Was Sandra also born with Chaos? If so, I doubt she would have been so helpless against the Turbid Energy.’
As Jin suspected, Sandra was an ordinary human, untainted by Chaos.
And though the others hadn't noticed yet…
To Jin’s eyes, Sandra’s super-regeneration was somehow different from the methods he had encountered before.
‘Sandra’s super-regeneration doesn't feel like the wound itself is mending; it’s as if time is being wound back for the injured area.’
He wasn't certain. The wound healed too quickly, and the distance was too great for him to see clearly.
Sandra Zipple.
Jin had never crossed paths with her in this life.
In his previous life, however, he had met her by chance. He had been waiting for Valeria by a fountain when they happened to exchange a few words about magic.
“Matthew Morniak's three-stage classification of magic? Wow, you're reading an interesting book. That one's hard to find.”
“Who are you?”
“Most people mix up Matthew Morniak with Matthew Worniak and end up reading a fraud's work. You seem like the type who doesn't get scammed easily.”
“Do you know me?”
“Me? I'm not stupid enough to get scammed, but sometimes I let people trick me anyway. It's cuter that way, don't you think?”
‘I think it was about a year after that when I found out she was Sandra Zipple.’
He had thought she was just a common magic student one might find in any park. He remembered his shock after seeing her face in a newsletter.
‘Looking back, that might have been an intentional approach. She was probably curious about how miserably an exiled Runcandel was living and why I was loitering around the mages' district.’
That was the extent of his connection with Sandra.
Because of that, Jin hadn't thought much about her in this life, either. She wasn't making a name for herself as a mage like Kelliark’s other children, nor was she contributing to the clan as a Tower Master.
Even looking at the Zipple mages who had come to the Gaifa Archipelago, the highest-ranking official was Midore Elner, the 7th Tower Master.
In a sense, Sandra was a Pure-blooded Zipple positioned in the second tier of the clan, or perhaps even lower.
However, seeing Sandra’s attitude and Midore’s gaze, anyone could tell that in reality, Sandra held a higher rank than Midore.
‘Did she intentionally hide her power and influence like Octavia Zipple? I figured Octavia wouldn't be the only one, but Sandra is truly unexpected.’
The reason Jin found Sandra so unexpected was simple.
The newsletter article that revealed the woman at the fountain was Sandra had been about her ‘marriage.’
In Jin’s previous life, she had entered a political marriage with a low-ranking royal of the Viment Imperial Family. It was a common tactic used by Zipple and other world powers: tying ‘collateral’ descendants together through marriage to use as mutual hostages or to resolve other issues.
‘If Sandra was a hidden powerhouse in my past life as well, she could have simply retired or lived in seclusion like Octavia. I can't think of a reason why she would bother with a political marriage.’
Just as Jin reached that thought, Sandra spoke.
“Augh, that really hurt. Uh, I’m asking because I don't quite understand… Did I say something to offend you, Lord Murakan?”
“What?”
“I stopped our illegitimate son from activating the Tower Master’s staff because I was worried the 12th Flagbearer and you would get into trouble. I just wanted to meet Jin Runcandel and try fighting him once, so I’m curious if that’s really something to get so upset about!”
Sandra was being sincere.
She truly believed there was nothing wrong with using terms like ‘puppeteer’ or ‘puppet.’ To her, those were merely facts, not something to be categorized as pleasant or unpleasant. It was the same logic she used when she spoke sarcastically to Midore—or at least, that's how it sounded to others.
“In fact, I should be getting praised. I know the Black Dragon is strong, but anyone would think it’s best to avoid annoying trouble. Don't you agree?”
At that, even Murakan was momentarily speechless.
Seeing Sandra speak so calmly made him wonder what on earth was wrong with her.
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
Jin’s voice cut in as he revealed himself.
Letting Murakan continue dealing with her might actually diminish his dignity. It was better for Jin to handle it himself. Besides, he needed to confirm the nature of her super-regeneration up close.
“Oh! Jin Runcandel!”
Sandra shouted, her eyes sparkling.
“You want to fight me?”
Their gazes met.
And just as Sandra was about to nod and say yes—
Stab!
Closing the distance in an instant, Jin drove Bradamante straight into Sandra’s collarbone.
“You seem a bit lacking for that, Sandra Zipple.”
Before he could even pull the blade free—
Click, whirrr!
The sound of turning gears grated against his ears.