Chapter 473: Massacre, and the Strange... (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 473: Massacre, and the Strange... (7)
Thud.
Midore collapsed. On the Zipple side, only Myuron, Sandra, and seven elders remained.
“Tower Master…!”
“Sir Midore!” the elders cried out.
There was nothing else they could do. They had no secret weapons left, no reliable means of escape. There was no way out. Whether they fought back or not, the only future awaiting them was death.
In such a situation, the honorable path would be to fight to the last and die in glorious battle. Yet, the elders couldn't force themselves to take a single step. Just looking at Jin, whose eyes gleamed from behind his black helmet, made them feel as if their bodies were being crushed by fear.
It wasn't just a feeling. The elders were desperately struggling just to endure the oppressive aura Jin was emitting.
‘Myuron Zipple.’
Jin turned his gaze toward him.
Only then did Myuron seem to snap out of his stupor. The meaningless, terrified mumbling ceased, and his eyes regained their focus.
‘I didn't expect to see your disgusting face again,’ Jin thought, suppressing a surge of rage. Recalling the atrocities Myuron had committed in Colon made his teeth clench, but that was an emotion he must never show this man.
The natives of Colon, whose vocal cords Myuron had severed, still lived their daily lives in silence. Their dead family members had not returned.
Heh…
Myuron pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head. “My, my, I’ve shown you something quite embarrassing. To think I was sobbing and frozen like a dog terrified of a beating.”
The image of him weeping in terror just moments ago was gone. Myuron’s eyes were now soaked in madness.
“I never knew you would become such a formidable warrior, Jin Runcandel. Back then, all of you together couldn't have handled me.”
Jin didn't respond. He simply approached Myuron one step at a time, recalling something the man had said in the past.
—You probably think I’m crazy, right? But Jin Runcandel, even though I can’t see it because of your helmet... I bet you’re making a pretty good face right now. You’re the same breed as me. You love fighting.
Those were the words Myuron had spat out in the heat of battle at Colon.
‘You said that back then, Myuron, because you were in a position to look down on me and ‘acknowledge’ me,’ Jin thought.
He had already gained insight into the man known as Myuron Zipple. A pure-blooded Zipple who lived in a drunken stupor, who was called the ‘Madman of the Magic Tower’ before his demotion, and who expressed himself through truly atrocious acts.
All of it stemmed from a deep-seated inferiority complex. The disappointment of knowing he could never become the Zipple Patriarch, the humiliation and jealousy he felt toward his superior siblings, and the bitter certainty that he could never achieve true fame.
If he couldn't achieve fame, he would shine through infamy.
That was Myuron’s greatest desire. It was his only means of hiding his inadequacy from others while simultaneously expressing it.
He was a monster born of a desperate need for recognition.
There was no better way to describe Myuron Zipple. It was why he always wanted his name on people's lips and why he sought to ‘acknowledge’ others at every opportunity. By acknowledging others, he elevated himself to the position of judge, turning their greatness into a testament to his own discernment.
The more impressive the opponent, the stronger this tendency became. He felt most magnificent when he was the one ‘discovering’ and ‘acknowledging’ a brilliant talent.
His acknowledgment of Midore, whom everyone else ignored, had earned him the man's blind loyalty since childhood. It was the same reason he had told Jin, “You’re the same breed as me.”
“Well, will you kill me now? Or torture me? Cooking me alive and feeding me to those Colon bugs you saved wouldn't be a bad punishment. Do whatever you wish, for you are the winner this time as well…”
But none of that would be a true punishment for Myuron. No matter how cruelly he was killed or how painfully he was tortured, Myuron would claim a solitary victory in his own mind. He would die believing he had finally dominated Jin's heart by forcing Jin to hate him.
Knowing this all too well, Jin didn't say a single word to the now-lucid Myuron.
“Ah, was it Tika? Is that rat-like girl who ruined our show still alive? If not for her, that situation would have been so much richer…”
Myuron stopped speaking.
His eyes, which had only just regained their focus, began to tremble violently. The reason was simple.
Jin had walked right past him.
“…Where are you going, Jin Runcandel?”
For the Zipple, death had lost much of its value. As long as their means of resurrection existed, death was not something to be feared in most situations. This was especially true for someone like Myuron.
Therefore, Jin chose the most effective punishment for him.
He would strip away his pride—the layers of lies that covered his pathetic self.
“Where are you going? Answer me!”
After passing Myuron by about ten paces, Jin couldn't hold back a smirk. Naturally, Myuron didn't hear the faint sound. Instead, he shrieked like a madman.
“Stop! Stop, I said stop!”
Zzzzt!
A blue flame flickered in Myuron’s eyes. It was the Zipple secret magic he had used in Colon: the Eyes of Azure Fire.
It was a magic that hadn't been able to touch Jin even when he was a mere reserve flagbearer. Back then, it had been instantly extinguished, overwhelmed by Tess’s true blue flames.
Even then, Myuron had watched Jin summon Tess and thought: Is this brat truly a mage who will seize the era by being chosen by Tess? The supreme mage that even I, Myuron, dare not dream of becoming!
As the memory resurfaced, something in his mind seemed to explode. He wanted to die right then and there from the shame and inferiority piercing him like a spear.
Sssssss!
Following Myuron’s gaze, the Eyes of Azure Fire ignited blue flames on Jin’s back. However, the flames repeatedly flickered and died, unable to leave even a tiny scorch mark on the Spirit Energy Armor.
The Spirit Energy Armor was part of the reinforced Bradamante, and Bradamante contained a fragment of Tess's power. Myuron’s magic was utterly incapable of damaging Jin, even though it was the greatest ultimate technique he possessed, aside from dark magic.
“Burn! Die! Burn to death, or kill me…! Stop!”
The raw face of an inferiority complex was a hideous thing to behold.
Most of the onlookers were so embarrassed for Myuron they could hardly bear to watch. Even amidst the soul-draining chaos that had just unfolded, they were pained by his pathetic display. Some even felt a flicker of pity beyond the shame, clicking their tongues at his wretchedness.
Pshhh, shhh…!
In the end, the Eyes of Azure Fire unleashed by Myuron left no trace on Jin’s Spirit Energy Armor, even as he poured out his power until his mana was exhausted and backflow began.
Myuron, breathing heavily with disheveled hair, was weeping tears of blood as the capillaries in his eyes burst. Through his reddened vision, he saw something else entirely.
He saw the majestic Black Dragon.
He saw the Imperial Guard, the few remaining Zipple elders, the beastmen of Kinzelo, and the Runcandel knights—all of them looking upon Murakan with awe and reverence.
And he saw the steel-like back of the man standing in their midst, the man who had simply walked past him.
To Myuron, it felt like a symbol. It was as if all four great powers were looking up to Jin.
‘Have you… already seized… the era…!’
Gah!
Suddenly, Myuron coughed up blood and doubled over. Mana backflow had begun.
Cough, hack. Clots of blood surged incessantly up his throat.
“Ack, me… gasp, ugh, look at… me. Huff, don't ignore me… acting all… superior… all noble… cough, like that…! Gah!”
Thwack!
Myuron felt something cold and sharp pierce through his back.
It was a dagger, thrust by Sandra Zipple, who had just finished her recovery.
“Gosh, seriously! How can you be so clingy, Brother Myuron? And to my boyfriend, of all people!” Sandra said as she pulled the dagger out.
Myuron wasn't shocked that Sandra had stabbed him. Even as he felt his life fading, he kept his eyes fixed on Jin’s back, not hers.
Please, look at me.
Jin Runcandel, acknowledge me. It’s not a hard thing for you to do…
His voice would no longer come out, so he couldn't scream it.
And so, Myuron met his second death, consumed by the humiliating truth of his own existence.
Only after confirming that Myuron’s breathing had completely stopped did Jin turn around.
Sandra was flicking her brother’s blood off her dagger, her brow furrowed.
“I’m sorry, Jin Runcandel. My brother is a bit much, isn't he? By the way, I wanted to kill that bastard with my own hands for interrupting our monumental first date. How could you snatch my share?”
“…You really are insane. A different kind from your brother who just died.”
“Even if we love each other, we have to maintain boundaries. Don't do this next time.”
Then, Sandra shrugged as she looked at her empty right shoulder, where her arm had been severed.
“My right arm, huh…” She nodded as if calculating something. “I think it’s just right.”
“What do you mean, just right?”
“It feels a bit too early for you to take everything of mine. A right arm is neither too much nor too little. Since today is the first day of our relationship.”
A chill ran down Jin's spine.
“I’ll make good use of it,” he said coldly.
“Please do. But when can we meet again?”
“I don't know. I’d prefer we never see each other again.”
“But married couples should see each other often.”
There was no point in continuing this meaningless conversation.
Jin ignored her last remark, glanced at Rata and Fey, and walked toward Vigo. The Prochi siblings immediately moved to Jin’s side to receive their orders, while Vigo flinched, watching Jin’s reaction. He was worried his youngest brother might scold him for still being there, asking if he had forgotten that Murakan told him to get lost.
“Sir Rata, Fey. I’ll leave the cleanup to you. Leave only about five witnesses each from Viment and Kinzelo, and eliminate the rest.”
“Understood, my lord.”
“Yes!”
“And Brother Vigo.”
“Y-yes, Youngest.”
“Just in case, would you mind lending a hand?”
Vigo let out a silent sigh of relief. Jin had phrased the request in a way that didn't undermine his dignity.
“…I shall.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you at the Garden of Swords when we return.”
Jin said as he climbed onto Murakan’s back.