Chapter 497: Tower Keeper of the White Night (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 497: Tower Keeper of the White Night (3)
A storm of sword energy scraped against the barriers of the Wraith Squad.
The squad members had never imagined Hedo would fight with such utter disregard for their safety.
I didn't expect Hedo to cooperate or coordinate with us, but this is no different from how he treats the enemy!
His eyes flashing wildly as he swung Veil once more, Hedo showed no intention of ensuring the Wraith Squad’s safety.
Beneath the black curtain spread by Murakan, a flash of light erupted like a bolt of lightning. It was the radiance pouring from Joshua’s black sword, Kiner.
Runcandel’s 6th Decisive Technique: Lightning Flash.
It was already clear that ordinary attacks couldn't damage Hedo’s gargantuan body. Unless it was a specialized attack—at least a Decisive Technique, a Secret Technique, or the red sword energy born from a specific enlightenment—it would only leave the attacker vulnerable.
The aura condensed within Kiner exploded, scattering sharp fragments like shattered obsidian.
Thousands of shards created a violent roar akin to a discharge of lightning, and the dazzling light held within each piece flickered on and off with incredible speed.
Kiner surged toward Hedo, leaving an erratic trajectory in its wake. The sword energy, spreading irregularly like diffusely reflected light, momentarily obscured Hedo’s massive frame.
I know the form of the Decisive Technique: Lightning Flash. Just as Barton Vichena did.
As Jin tracked Hedo’s movements, he recalled that the man had experienced Runcandel’s Decisive Techniques multiple times. Thus, Hedo skillfully predicted the path of Lightning Flash and adjusted his footwork.
Every time Hedo took a step, the ground shook and ears rang. He wasn't just dodging; even as he moved, he exerted his oppressive aura to keep the Runcandels in check.
Crackle—!
Lightning Flash dissipated, and Hedo’s massive form was revealed once more.
Though he had dodged or deflected most of it, the party was no longer surprised to see him emerge without a single scratch after taking a Decisive Technique from the clan’s 2nd Flagbearer.
Everyone had regained their composure. They were Runcandel Flagbearers and a Black Knight. No matter how desperate the situation, those at the forefront of the sword clan always found a breakthrough.
Next was Dipus’s sword.
The blade of the greatsword Volgar stretched as if to touch the ceiling before it came crashing down. The 3rd Decisive Technique: Meteor Shower. True to its name, countless streaks of sword energy rained down, encroaching on Hedo’s position.
Hedo’s body blurred.
Unlike with Lightning Flash, he wasn't merely obscured by the attack. He had simply vanished from the impact zone at an unbelievable speed.
A speed that transcended sound.
A shockwave spread from where Hedo had been standing, followed by a sharp, explosive crack. In the next instant, Hedo was standing beneath Murakan’s wing.
Right in front of Jin.
It felt as if a wall had suddenly materialized before his eyes.
Dipus's Meteor Shower struck nothing but empty air. Unable to recklessly retract his aura, his recovery was a beat too slow. Jane, meanwhile, couldn't keep up with Hedo’s speed.
“Kid!”
Murakan dove like a hawk to protect Jin, but Hedo was already swinging his floor-length longsword upward.
It was too late to dodge.
“That sword of yours gives off a rather dangerous feeling, 12th Flagbearer.”
“Urgh!”
Jin managed to parry, but since he was concentrating his aura and mana for the Magic Sword Secret Technique, Karma Fire, he couldn't exert his full strength. Just as Dipus couldn't recklessly withdraw the aura for his Meteor Shower, Jin risked a backlash if he disrupted his own technique.
Even though he had activated his Spirit Energy Armor to mitigate the impact, the moment his sword clashed with Hedo’s, a searing pain shot through every bone in his body.
Hedo’s follow-up was another upward slash. Jin twisted his body to avoid the blade. In that brief opening, Murakan arrived and unleashed his breath at Hedo’s torso.
However, Hedo seemed to evade the black breath with ease, and it once again shot past him toward the Wraith Squad members behind him.
One of them finally spat out a string of curses, but it was drowned out by the thunderous sounds of explosions and destruction echoing throughout the hall.
Flutter…
Jin’s mask split in half and fell to the floor.
Hedo’s second upward slash hadn't been intended to kill Jin from the start; its purpose was to remove the mask.
He studied Jin’s face for a moment and spoke.
“You certainly are handsome. Though I’m not sure if you’re worth the Young Lady sacrificing her right arm just to remember your face.”
He mumbled the last part about the “young lady sacrificing her right arm” under his breath, his voice laced with complex emotions and barely audible.
“What nonsense are you spouting in the middle of a fight!” Joshua shouted, his eyes bloodshot. An afterimage remained in his wake as he charged Hedo, his black sword Kiner primed with aura to unleash the 4th Decisive Technique: Falling Petals.
He wasn't charging blindly out of pique at being ignored.
I have to buy time…!
Time for the youngest to unleash his Magic Sword Secret Technique.
A sword that gives off a rather dangerous feeling. Joshua was paying close attention to what Hedo had just said.
If Jin could create just one opening with Karma Fire, he, the other Runcandels, and Murakan could finally land a decisive blow on Hedo.
Even if they couldn't finish him, it seemed possible to wound him and secure an escape route.
If even that isn't enough, I’ll have to consider… using that power.
With that thought, Joshua threw himself forward.
Dipus and Jane also ran toward Hedo with similar intentions.
The moment the youngest unleashes Karma Fire, we pour in everything we have…!
The Wraith Squad, however, didn't stand by idly. They hadn't witnessed Karma Fire's power firsthand, but the Runcandels' plan was obvious.
Rumble—!
Murakan fired breaths and spirit energy spikes indiscriminately at Hedo and the Wraith Squad. Spikes now erupted from the floor as well as the ceiling, and the ambient aura was continuously converted into Decisive Techniques to pressure Hedo.
The brilliant flashes from the clashing Decisive Techniques made it difficult to track anyone's position. Only Jin, sheltered under Murakan's protection, could focus on preparing Karma Fire once more.
But something is strange.
While gathering his mana and aura, a peculiar thought occurred to Jin.
If I were Hedo, I wouldn't fight this way.
It was frustrating to admit.
Hedo had already created at least two clear opportunities to inflict a fatal wound—or even kill him.
It feels strangely half-hearted. Why?
Even now, Hedo was more than capable of breaking through their defensive line.
This wasn't just for amusement or to savor the fight. If he was the type who reveled in the tension of a life-or-death struggle, they were far too weak to be his opponents.
Every action has a purpose.
And if you know your opponent's goal, you can exploit it to make the fight easier.
To capture me alive instead of killing me, to use me as material for a Demon God Stone? That doesn't add up either. Is it just the whim of the strong?
There was no time for deep contemplation. His siblings lunged at Hedo, only to be repelled time and again.
Karma Fire was complete.
The Azure Fire within his blade grew darker. As his Spirit Energy Armor deactivated, the intensely glowing runes etched upon it began to spark.
In an instant, Jin became fire.
The flames spreading from him surged like a tsunami in all directions. Surprisingly, though the Azure Fire consumed the entire hall, it did not touch his allies.
This is the achievement of the 12th Flagbearer? Is this the power that half-destroyed the Garden of Swords alone…!
The Wraith Squad immediately ceased their attacks and concentrated all their mana on defense. Even at their peak, the four members of the Wraith Squad couldn't fully block Jin's Karma Fire.
They had to avoid it. But there was nowhere to retreat; they were cornered. To make matters worse, the other Runcandels and Murakan were pressing their own attack.
If Hedo doesn't help, we'll all suffer wounds that will make combat impossible, at the very least. Or we'll die!
Having already fought a fierce battle with Joshua's group before Hedo arrived, the Wraith Squad was already under considerable strain.
Now, taking attacks from both the Runcandels and Hedo, their very survival was at stake, no matter how elite they were.
“Impressive.”
Brushing aside the encroaching Azure Fire, Hedo marveled for the first time.
The swordsmanship of the other flagbearers and the Black Knight was meager compared to the Runcandels he once knew, and the rumored martial prowess of Murakan had so far fallen short of expectations.
Jin's Magic Sword Secret Technique, however, held a brilliance that even he had to acknowledge.
Still, Hedo could tell instinctively that Jin's magic sword was incomplete.
Well, if he keeps growing like this, he might be enough to handle our troublesome Young Lady. That is, assuming the Young Lady wasn't a Zipple and the 12th Flagbearer wasn't a Runcandel.
Hedo suddenly felt bitter.
There was no way Sandra's love could ever bear fruit. In the end, Jin and his clan were no different from patients with a terminal diagnosis. So perhaps…
He thought it might be better to end Jin's life right here and now. Letting him die an honorable death in battle would be a kinder fate for the Young Lady than letting him become material for a Demon God Stone.
What should he do?
Just as his thoughts were becoming complicated, the shouts of the Wraith Squad grated on Hedo’s nerves.
“Hedo! Are you just going to stand there and watch!”
Hedo had no intention of helping them from the start.
Only by letting them all die would it serve as a proper warning to Octavia Zipple.
“Why do you call for me? You might as well beg the enemy for your lives—hm!”
Whoosh—!
Before anyone noticed, Jin had closed the distance, thrusting his sword toward Hedo's face.
“Tower Keeper of the White Night, you are certainly a warrior worthy of respect, even from an enemy. But you are far too relaxed.”
Though Hedo blocked the strike, the flames of Karma Fire flowed along his longsword, Veil, as if it were coated in oil, and engulfed his body.
Even as his entire upper body was consumed by Azure Fire, Hedo looked down at Jin without any sign of pain.
At first glance, it seemed as if he was being burned by the Azure Fire yet taking no damage at all, but Jin did not despair.
The power of Karma Fire—and the potential of a Runcandel—was not so limited.
“12th Flagbearer, there is something I’d like to propose.”
“A proposal?”
“If you’ve taken anything from here, leave it behind. If you do, I shall let you live for now.”
Anything taken from here.
It was obvious what he meant.
The ship blueprints.
What is he talking about all of a sudden? The blueprints were already stolen?
Just as he was about to answer, suppressing his bewilderment, something fell from within the flames of Karma Fire enveloping him.
Clink.
It hit the floor.
It was the key he had received from Joshua.
Hedo was momentarily speechless, his eyes widening as he stared fixedly at the fallen key.