Chapter 509: Fall (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 509: Fall (2)
Thud!
Mon dropped to one knee, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Had the exchange lasted just a few more rounds, he surely would have met his end on the blade of that monstrous demon.
‘…I heard there were a few formidable powerhouses among the active demons, but I never imagined one would be part of Kinzelo. Was the demon the 1st Flagbearer cut down in the past a creature like that as well?’
It had been a long time since he had been so utterly defeated and dismissed. Though he had managed to retrieve his severed left arm, he wouldn't be able to continue his duties as a Black Knight without immediate treatment on the level of the Holy King.
However, now was not the time to indulge in frustration.
‘The demon headed toward the signal in Romin Forest. Seeing the Gruneil flying toward the forest with the Kozec in pursuit… there’s a chance Jane and the flagbearers are there.’
Mon didn't know the full situation in Romin Forest. He only knew that Zipple and Kinzelo’s forces must be converging there for a reason, and that the contents of the 2nd Magic Tower’s vault were the most important factor in this operation.
‘Did the 2nd Flagbearer succeed in the theft? Or did Kinzelo obtain it, intensifying the battle…? Either way, my task is to request reinforcements.’
There was no point in trying to stop Bianca from leaving. Even if it meant boarding an enemy vessel, he had to keep moving to ensure the mission's success as long as he still drew breath.
After staunching the bleeding and applying emergency first aid, he began to move.
The security was tight.
Lights flickered from every watchtower atop the long stone walls that formed the boundary. The border guards of the five autonomous districts and eight autonomous nations were more alert than ever, their eyes darting between their assigned sectors, Romin Forest, and the battlefield in the Sota Desert.
The ship Gruneil and Octavia’s forces were closing in on Romin Forest with frantic speed.
As the battle grew increasingly violent, the guards began to fear that Romin Forest might be wiped off the map entirely.
The border commanders deployed search parties toward the area where Mon and Bianca had fought. While a duel between two individuals couldn't compare to the uproar in Romin Forest or the Sota Desert, it wasn't something the guards could afford to overlook.
Mon moved through the gaps in the border patrol, avoiding detection.
‘Damn it, my body is starting to stiffen.’
The blood loss was too severe. Like Jane, he had sustained injuries so grave that anyone without the mental fortitude and will of a Black Knight would have lost consciousness long ago.
Haa, haa…
He leaned against a tree for a moment to catch his breath. His vision swam with a white-hot fever, and his joints rattled with every shudder, threatening to shatter.
In the midst of his fading senses, Mon suddenly shifted his stance and pointed his sword toward a thicket.
He felt someone approaching.
‘A guard…!’
Even in this state, he could easily and quietly handle a few soldiers at the 7-star level or below. But if they were stronger, it would be impossible to kill them all before one fired a signal flare.
A moment later, when the figures emerged, Mon let out a sigh of relief.
“Sir Mon!”
It was Jin’s party, appearing from the brush.
The routes available while avoiding border surveillance were extremely limited. Jin’s group had taken the same path as Mon and had already spotted his bloodstains along the way. Their meeting was more an inevitability than a coincidence.
“12th Flagbearer.”
“How did this… Sir, damn it. Your arm.”
“The mission… what happened? Why are you alone? Where are Jane and the 2nd Flagbearer?”
Mon trailed off as he met the dark, heavy gazes of Jin’s party.
“…We escaped Romin Forest thanks to Sir Jane’s sacrifice.”
Mon remained silent for a few seconds before turning back. He looked toward Romin Forest, where the woman he loved had met her end.
Though they had abandoned their personal lives upon becoming Black Knights, Mon and Jane had always believed their hearts were connected.
They had promised to spend the rest of their lives together if they ever managed to retire safely.
That hope was now gone.
“I see,” Mon replied, his voice calm.
Just as Jane had prioritized the clan and the mission over final words for her lover, he would do the same.
Private sorrow was of no use to the clan. That was the creed of the Black Knights.
That was the meaning of Runcandel's black helmet.
“Did the 2nd Flagbearer stay behind as well?”
“Yes.”
Mon did not ask why the Next Patriarch had stayed behind instead of another flagbearer, whether it was by choice or by force, why Jin held the Black Sword Kiner, or what the 2nd Flagbearer was fighting with in its absence. He felt he already knew the reason Joshua had remained.
“Was the theft successful?”
Jin pulled the items from his robes and showed them to him.
“As long as we escape safely, the mission is a success. We can discuss the details of my injuries, Yona Runcandel, and Sandra Zipple after we escape. For now, let’s move before I collapse.”
Mon’s gaze shifted to Sandra. She was rummaging through her coat pockets again, looking for painkillers.
“Ah, luckily I have some left. Swallow this. It worked wonders for that older sister earlier. It’s hard to run when you’re in pain, right?”
“…Sister? Are you referring to Jane, Sandra Zipple?”
“Yes. She said thank you.”
Mon took the painkillers and swallowed them without a word. Then, he gave Sandra’s shoulder a light, appreciative pat.
He had never revealed his relationship with Jane, but the group somehow understood the sentiment behind that simple gesture.
They began to move again.
‘Passing through without a confrontation is going to be difficult.’
It was only natural, given they were in the heart of the Lutero Magic Federation with a surveillance network several times denser than usual.
While Jin was contemplating which path would be most efficient to break through, Sandra spoke up.
“Haa, it seems the time has come to end our first date.”
The group’s eyes focused on her.
She was biting her lower lip, trying to soothe her regret.
“I have to step forward now so you can escape, Mr. Jin. In the future, even if you miss me, you shouldn't come looking for me like this. You almost met your end today, you know.”
Jin and Sandra’s eyes met.
“I’ll draw the guards’ attention. Slip away while they’re distracted. In return, you remember what you said earlier, right?”
—However, it is true that my siblings and the Black Knight survived thanks to you, so I wish to repay the debt in some way. If there is something you need, ask for it. If it is within my power, I will fulfill it after we escape.
Jin and Sandra recalled his words at the same time.
“What do you need?”
Sandra held out her golden prosthetic hand to Jin, making sure the face engraved on the inside of the forearm was clearly visible.
“I’d like you to engrave your name under this drawing, Mr. Jin.”
“Wow… Seriously, you… you really are something else. There’s this girl named Enya. She’s the president of a little fan club, but even she can’t compete with you. I don’t think I’ll see another human like you even if I live for another three thousand years.”
“I’m the official fan club president, though. After the Golden Top Merchant advertisement, all sorts of trashy fan clubs popped up, but I even drafted and passed legislation regarding fan activities and officially registered myself. There must have been a few articles about it, even in Huphester.”
“Uh, I think I saw that. Was it someone using the name Nodab Sarsaeng?”
“That’s my pseudonym. So, what that Enya kid does is just play at being a fan. I’m conducting official fan activities. We’re on different levels.”
Jin silently drew a dagger. Then, as she requested, he signed his name under the engraving on her prosthetic arm.
Sandra almost screamed and had to cover her mouth.
“Wow! I’ll cherish this more than my life!”
The feeling of having his name signed on a golden prosthetic that had replaced an arm he had personally severed, right beneath an engraving of his own face—not to mention hearing that she would cherish it more than her life… there were no words to describe it.
Regardless, the moment he finished the signature—
Rumble…!
A massive explosion suddenly erupted from Romin Forest.
The blast was so colossal that its tremors could be felt even from the central border. And that explosion had been triggered by neither Kinzelo nor Zipple.
It was an explosion caused by a Runcandel Decisive Technique. Everyone in the group recognized it instantly.
The clan’s only self-destruction technique, a sword art created for the absolute end.
It was the 7th Decisive Technique: Volcano. Just as he had done against Jin and Garmund in the Blue Bird Archipelago, Joshua had chosen Volcano as his final act of defiance with his clone.
At that time, Joshua’s Volcano had possessed the power to erase Island 32 of the Blue Bird Archipelago. The Volcano unleashed by the current Joshua, empowered by turbid energy, far surpassed that previous display.
Aura mixed with turbid energy soared into the sky before raining down, obliterating Romin Forest. It looked as if a massive volcano had just erupted.
Even from where the group stood, they could clearly see the space and sky around Romin Forest distorting and shattering from the impact.
The ships urgently deployed their shields to maximum power, while the powerful individuals on the ground struggled desperately to save any allies who couldn't withstand the blast.
“They’re even firing celebratory cannons to mark the birth of my number one treasure!” Sandra shouted brightly, as if the fact that the Volcano was destroying her own family’s territory didn't matter in the slightest.
“Go now, Mr. Jin. The guards seem a bit dazed by that explosion. If I cause just a little confusion, there will be a hole in their surveillance.”
“Sandra Zipple.”
“Yes!”
—That may be true, Jin. But I have my own sense of responsibility. If the family is heading down the wrong path, shouldn't I be the one to set it right? I will normalize everything. I’ll return Zipple to the proud family I once knew.
—That’s the most unrealistic story of all.
—I feel like I could do it if you guys helped.
—Regardless of our friendship, wrong is wrong. It’s impossible for Runcandel to help Zipple.
Suddenly, for a fleeting moment, Jin saw a glimpse of his friend in her. He recalled the conversation he had shared with Veradin at his villa. He remembered the moment he had told him to leave the clan and discard the name Zipple.
“Give my regards to Veradin.”
“Aw, and here I thought you might at least hold my hand… I was actually planning to meet Veradin and talk about you anyway.”
Sandra’s eyes widened as Jin reached out. It wasn't to fulfill her romantic whims, of course, but a handshake—a gesture of thanks from someone who had received immense help.
“Then let’s meet again, Mr. Jin.”
“Farewell, Sandra.”
Turning away and stepping out of the thicket, Sandra immediately began shouting the moment she encountered the guards.
“I am Sandra Zipple, Acting Tower Master of the Tower of White Night! Intruders are fleeing toward Outpost 16! Pursue them immediately!”
While the guards scrambled to follow Sandra’s command, the Runcandels finally crossed the border, escaping the heart of the Lutero Magic Federation through the West Sea.