Chapter 522: Intensive Training (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 522: Intensive Training (3)
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Haa, haa…
Jin steadied his breathing and looked up at the ice wall.
Amidst the chaotic traces of destruction, as if a giant beast had gone on a rampage, there was a single, exceptionally clean and deep hole.
It was the mark left by the Light Speed Thrust he had just unleashed.
Of all the Light Speed Thrusts he had performed over the past two weeks, only this final one had pierced the Wall of Ten Thousand Ice.
The hole was such a perfect circle that it possessed an odd sort of artistry. When one gazes upon the work of a great master, one can almost feel the soul and obsession poured into its creation. The hole formed by Jin’s Light Speed Thrust evoked that same feeling.
Jin and Talaris, who had witnessed the result together, remained silent for a long while, unable to take their eyes off the hole.
“You’ve done it, son-in-law. To perfect such a sword technique in a mere fortnight… Haha, I wonder what Cyron would say if he saw this. He’d certainly be pleased. Speaking of which, I wonder how Cyron is doing.”
“I believe this is the first time I’ve ever heard someone worry about my father, Lady Talaris.”
“Well, we are friends. And I have a promise I made to your father…”
Talaris gave a bittersweet smile.
Cough!
Jin tried to respond but suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Son-in-law!”
“It seems I suffered a minor backflow from overusing my Aura. You don’t need to worry.”
“If you were as sturdy as your eldest or second sister, you wouldn’t have suffered a backflow like this. Ahaha, how frail.”
She said the words with a laugh, but in truth, Talaris was marveling at Jin’s stamina. She had only cracked a joke to keep him from getting complacent.
“I feel like I can finally see a glimpse of the realm where Sister Luna stands.”
“White Whale Luna Runcandel… if her swordsmanship is still where I remember it, then in terms of pure technique, you are already her equal, if not her superior.”
Jin shook his head.
“I don’t know when you last saw her, but my sister has surely achieved incredible things in that time. I believe I still have a long way to go to catch up to her.”
“Her growth rate couldn’t have been as explosive as yours. Besides, Luna’s true strength isn’t her immense physique or her swordsmanship. She… hmm, how should I put it? She has the ‘ability to always win.’ That’s the most fitting way to describe it.”
“The ability to always win…?”
“I am certainly stronger than Luna. I surpass her in almost every aspect. And yet, if I were to fight her, I couldn’t be certain of victory. Your eldest sister has something that can’t be explained by words like potential or talent—though she has plenty of those, too. And…”
Talaris turned to look at Jin as she continued.
“While teaching you, I saw something similar in you. I believe that is the greatest blessing a martial artist can possess.”
“That is high praise.”
“Besides, neither you nor Luna obtained it for free. There’s no reason for me to feel anything but pride in your success.”
Just as Jin was about to express his gratitude for the training, he sensed a presence.
“Young Master Jin!”
It was Casimir.
As soon as he entered, he couldn’t help but flinch at the state of the ice wall. His gaze was momentarily stolen by the single, perfect hole carved amidst the devastation.
Are all these traces the result of his training? Especially that one… It seems the Young Master has completed a new sword technique.
It was an ice wall reinforced with the power of Ten Thousand Ice. Casimir knew that with his own sword, he would be hard-pressed to even leave a deep scratch on it.
“You’ve arrived, Sir Casimir.”
“Hmm, I was just about to send my son-in-law on his way today. Did you come to glare at me for keeping him for too long?”
“Not at all, Lady Talaris. I’ve come because there is a matter the Young Master must see to immediately.”
Casimir pulled out a report from the Seven-Colored Bird. As Jin read it, his expression grew grim.
Signs of a purge?
Talaris, who glanced over the report with him, snorted as if the idea was absurd.
“Ahaha, that Emperor. When we were young, he was always so timid around Ron. Now that Ron has been acting lenient since before the terror attack on the Sword Emperor Castle, the Emperor has certainly grown bold.”
In truth, the Imperial Family’s attempts to keep Hairan in check had been ongoing for generations. And just as Talaris said, as Ron became more tolerant, the intensity of the Imperial Family’s provocations increased proportionally.
Ron, like a predator patiently ignoring yapping puppies, mostly chose not to react. He believed that so long as he wasn’t planning a rebellion, this was the best path for the Empire. The previous Patriarchs had all done the same, and the Imperial Family, knowing this, rarely crossed the line.
But this time, they had crossed it.
According to the report, the Emperor is intentionally separating the Ancestor Dragon and the Dragon Knights.
The reason was obvious: to ensure the Dragon Knights couldn’t immediately rush to the Sword Emperor Castle if something happened to Hairan. Although the Emperor held command over the Dragon Knights, they were men who would prioritize the safety of the Sword Emperor Castle over the Empire’s orders in an emergency—even if it meant committing treason.
Of course, this alone wasn’t definitive proof of a purge. Just as they had always increased pressure when an opportunity arose, this could simply be a demonstration, using the terror attack as an excuse to show the public the Imperial Family’s absolute power.
However, Jin felt that wasn’t the case.
In the end, has the Empire chosen the Stone over Hairan?
The White Stone, protected by the Patriarchs of Hairan.
The Imperial Family had coveted that stone for a long time. Just as the Secret Palace was sealing Elona Zipple, Hairan was passing down the White Stone through generations—so that the strongest Patriarch could one day cut it down and destroy it.
Jin did not know the true nature of the White Stone, though he speculated it was related to Chaos.
One thing, however, was certain. Those fools were making a colossal mistake.
Madmen. I don’t know how great that stone is, but are they really willing to discard the Empire’s strongest martial family for it?
Ron’s Sword Emperor Castle was the strongest in Hairan’s history. Although they had suffered unexpected damage in the recent terror attack, as long as Ron and the core members remained, Hairan was still the Empire’s foremost martial family.
It was no exaggeration to say that until Kinzelo’s rise, the Empire had enjoyed its status as the third great power after Runcandel and Zipple entirely because of Ron and the Hairan clan he led.
I asked Veradin to have Zipple pressure Hairan to more clearly distinguish friend from foe and expose the Imperial Family’s true intentions. From the looks of it, the answer is clear. Viment has chosen the Stone and Zipple over Hairan.
The only puzzling part was that Ron had yet to show any reaction, even though there were signs of a purge that even the Seven-Colored Bird’s informants could detect.
“Hmm, the Imperial Family must have something to back them up to pull a stunt like this. I can’t quite figure it out. Setting aside whether they have any justification to purge Hairan, how do they plan to handle Ron?”
Talaris believed that even if the Imperial Family had sided with Zipple, they couldn’t recklessly use Zipple’s power against Ron. That would be tantamount to announcing that the Imperial Family had sold the Empire to Zipple.
“…As you said, Lady Talaris, they must have something to rely on.”
“It’s almost enough to make me wonder if they’re holding Dante hostage. Hmm, it seems my son-in-law is quite worried.”
“I am.”
“His dignity might have been bruised during the terror attack on the Sword Emperor Castle, but any martial artist from his era would be worrying about the Imperial Family and the Empire, not him. If the Runcandels collectively went mad and tried to purge your father, would you worry for Cyron?”
She was right. If Ron were in his normal state, Jin wouldn’t have worried at all, regardless of whether the Emperor grounded the Dragon Knights or borrowed Zipple’s power.
“I don’t know if that red sword energy was the problem or if there were other factors. I always thought that if the day came when I suffered internal injuries I couldn't control, it would surely be the day I crossed swords with your father… To think it would be at the hands of the leader of a group known until recently as a third-rate terrorist organization is truly absurd.”
Immediately after the terror attack, Jin had heard about Ron’s internal injuries from the man himself. He had failed to recover from the wounds sustained in that battle. For a superhuman like Ron, recovery should have been swift, but the internal injuries were gradually worsening over time.
Even Dante didn’t know. It was a secret known only to Ron’s five closest confidants and Jin.
…Perhaps the Emperor has learned of Lord Ron’s condition.
It didn’t seem like the Emperor was certain of it, though.
If he fully understood Lord Ron’s state, he wouldn't be testing the waters like this. He would have lunged all at once.
Jin didn’t know Ron’s exact condition, either—whether the injuries were the same as before or had worsened. That was what made him so uneasy. The fact that Ron hadn’t reacted yet, though he might be taking measures that simply hadn’t reached Jin’s ears, was likely related to his condition.
“You are right. Still, I must go to the Sword Emperor Castle myself.”
“Go on, then. Go show off your new Secret Technique.”
“No matter who asks in the future, I will tell them that I learned one of the Runcandel Secret Techniques from you, Lady Talaris. It was an honorable lesson.”
“You really are quite cute. Oh, and if by some chance… if it looks like something bad is about to happen to the Sword Emperor Castle, make sure you let me know.”
“I will.”
As soon as he left the Secret Palace with Casimir, Jin headed for a Warp Gate in Tikan that led to the Empire.
However, the gate only emitted a harsh warning chime and failed to activate.
That sound could only mean one thing: the Warp Gate on the receiving end had been closed.