Chapter 531: For a Friend (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 531: For a Friend (9)
The moment he saw the friend who had rushed to his side without a second thought, the bloodlust in Dante’s eyes seemed to fade.
Dante could not take his eyes off Jin for a long time, as if time itself had frozen.
The hatred, the madness, and the internal shift toward blood-soaked destruction subsided with astonishing speed. To realize there was someone to lean on when driven into a dead end—that was the nature of such a moment.
Dante had hoped Jin wouldn't come to this quagmire, but that was only because he believed it was the right thing to do as a friend. In truth, he wanted Jin to fight by his side more than anyone else. Had their roles been reversed, he would have risked everything to help Jin as well.
“…Jin. You came.”
“You say that like you’re surprised. Yes, it’s me.”
Thud!
Dante collapsed, sinking to one knee. The moment he confirmed Jin’s presence, the exhaustion that had been masked by his rage wracked his entire body. His joints rattled even while he stood still, and dark blood leaked from every orifice on his face.
Jin found it hard to believe that Dante had even been standing in that condition, let alone fighting until just a moment ago.
“Were you planning on dying here, Dante?”
“Embarrassingly, yes.”
“Feel like living now?”
Dante nodded.
“I was worried I’d have to smack you on the back of the head and knock you out again. This is a relief.”
“If you hit me in my current state, I might actually die.”
“Anyway, you did well to hold on. Go rest until you can fight again.”
Jin let out a small chuckle and helped Dante up, placing him on Shuri’s back. Once mounted, Dante looked back and forth between Jin and the battlefield before finally nodding.
As his friend said, he realized there had to be a ‘next time.’
“…Thank you.”
At Jin’s signal, Shuri kicked off the ground and headed toward the Sword Emperor Castle. The enemies didn’t dare block her path, deterred by the fierce beams of mana firing from her eyes and the swipes of her forepaws.
Inside the Sword Emperor Castle, the Holy Kingdom’s top-tier healing priests, whom Jin had brought with him, were waiting.
“…This is my first time seeing you as a man grown, Sir Jin Runcandel.”
“First, allow me to thank you for waiting, Dragon Knight Leader, Sir Johnsina Perel.”
Jin wasn't just thanking Johnsina for not interrupting his conversation with Dante. He believed Johnsina had intentionally refrained from killing Dante while waiting for him to arrive.
Judging by Dante’s condition, Johnsina could have finished him off within five exchanges. Even if Dante had a secret technique that traded life for power, the moment he unleashed it, his death would have been certain.
In that case, Johnsina had likely planned to knock Dante unconscious and send him back to the Sword Emperor Castle before the technique could be completed. In other words, Johnsina had no intention of killing Dante, and Jin was curious as to why.
“This is a bitter sight. I never imagined a man like you would betray his principles to aid the Emperor’s tyranny. What was your intention in trying to save Dante? Guilt? Hypocrisy? I hope it wasn't for such a lukewarm reason.”
“I am a knight of the Empire.”
It was a statement heavy with meaning.
As a knight of the Empire, Johnsina simply chose the path that would save the greatest number of citizens. To him, there was no choice more righteous for an Imperial knight.
His desire to save Dante stemmed from a wish that the flame known as Hairan would not be completely extinguished. He knew Hairan could never win this war as long as Zipple was involved; thus, he hoped that one day, that flame would restore the Empire to its former glory.
Johnsina was certain that Dante Hairan was capable of it—that he could transcend hatred and revenge to ultimately choose a shining, greater cause.
Jin had no trouble reading the underlying meaning.
“It seems Zipple threatened to destroy the Empire if you didn't hand over the White Stone.”
Johnsina did not answer.
Regardless of the reason, he stood as an enemy of the Sword Emperor Castle. While it might have been the right choice for the people, it was by no means an honorable one.
“Your choice was wrong. Do you have any intention of correcting it, even now? Dante and I will never give up on Hairan.”
“I don't know about you, but it doesn't seem like the entirety of Runcandel will help the Sword Emperor Castle.”
“If the White Stone is valuable enough to make all of Zipple move, the Garden of Swords won't stay still either.”
“Even if that’s the case, I do not want a future where the Empire becomes a battlefield for Runcandel and Zipple. The common folk are not as familiar with death as we warriors are. Protecting their lives is the sole duty of an Imperial knight.”
“I shall respect that.”
The life a person has lived represents everything about them. As far as Jin knew, Johnsina Perel was not a man who would make the wrong choice for personal greed or survival.
Regardless, every choice carries a price.
Crackle!
Sigmund was dyed blue with lightning. Johnsina’s greatsword also emitted a light stronger than before, vibrating with a resonant hum.
The two charged at each other simultaneously.
At the first clash, the earth trembled as a shockwave rippled outward. The nearby Imperial soldiers hurriedly raised their shields, but few could withstand the lightning mixed into the shockwave.
Flashes of light burst everywhere. Every second, brilliant flares painted the surroundings—the afterimages of their blades in motion. Those who had not reached their level could only track the fight during the brief moments their swords locked in a contest of strength.
As expected of the Imperial Second Sword.
There wasn't a single opening. Johnsina was thinking the same as he traded blows with Jin.
I had heard the 12th Flagbearer’s martial prowess was great, but… to think it was this much. Subduing him is impossible. This will be a long fight.
However, Jin had no intention of dragging the fight out.
Johnsina was certainly a powerful individual, but he was not the core of this war. If Jin struggled and consumed too much strength against him, he wouldn't be able to handle what came next: the Zipple reinforcements that would soon arrive.
In the first place, no matter how great his own forces were, it was impossible to defeat Zipple’s main army with them alone, unless Zipple only sent their 2nd or 3rd Armies.
The Emperor wouldn't have started this war with such confidence if he had only been promised support from the 2nd or 3rd Armies.
Jin had to save his strength to repel the swarming enemies and help Dante and the knights of Hairan escape.
Clang—!
Jin was pushed back and reset his stance. Johnsina closed the distance without hesitation, and at that same moment, Sigmund lunged forward—at a speed and angle that Johnsina found incomprehensible.
It was the Runcandel 5th Secret Technique, named after the King of the Underworld: Light Speed Thrust.
For an instant, the thrust appeared to have erased Johnsina’s face entirely, but Jin saw him falter and regain his distance.
The reason Johnsina was able to dodge it wasn't due to talent or reflex. It was experience. Decades of fighting countless masters had caused him to tilt his head on pure instinct.
However, he couldn't dodge it completely.
The sword energy of the Light Speed Thrust tore off a piece of his cheekbone and his right ear. Along with a burning sensation at the wound, a sharp ringing filled his head. Johnsina nearly made the mistake of looking back at where the sword energy had passed.
What was that just now? A thrust of that speed?
It wasn't a fatal wound. But the fact that his body had momentarily frozen from the shock was a far more critical blow than the injury itself.
Jin did not miss that opening. Gritting his teeth, he burned his Heart of Light to unleash another Light Speed Thrust.
Like all decisive and secret techniques, the Light Speed Thrust was particularly dangerous when the opponent was entirely ignorant of it. Once one realized that a thrust of impossible speed could spring from a blind spot at any moment, those who had reached the pinnacle could respond to some degree.
Johnsina stepped to the side and thrust his sword. Or rather, he tried to. He would have finished the motion if not for the lightning that suddenly erupted from the point of impact of the previous Light Speed Thrust.
Crackle—Boom!
He had recognized the Light Speed Thrust, but he hadn't accounted for the unique properties of the lightning. The fact that Jin’s technique created an aftershock had already been demonstrated on the rear battlefield, but not a single person who could have reported that to Johnsina remained there. They were all dead or had fled.
The second Light Speed Thrust that followed pierced Johnsina’s shoulder.
Before anyone realized it, Jin was holding a different sword—Bradamante—instead of Sigmund. He had thrown Sigmund while performing the second thrust, embedding it into the ground between them.
It was as if the ceaseless downpour of lightning was now anchored to the spot. Sigmund vomited lightning until the very ground gave way, and Johnsina let out a roar as he exploded his own energy.
An intense light, bright enough to illuminate the dark battlefield, clashed, and through it, a single streak of black energy merged.
Spirit Sword 2nd Form: Scissors.
Even with his posture broken, Johnsina managed to perfectly block one black blade, but he failed to perceive the spirit energy rushing in from the opposite side.
Thanks to his exploding aura and his Steel Body, he avoided being cut completely in half. However, the blade that pierced his ribs had already reached the center of his chest.
Cutting down a warrior he had respected since childhood was a bitter task.
Johnsina could no longer counterattack. The match was decided.
“Please… take care… of… Hairan.”
He had sided with the Emperor for the safety of the Empire’s people. Yet, facing death, Johnsina was asking for Hairan, not the people.
It wasn't the logic of an Imperial knight; what he truly wanted from the depths of his heart was for Hairan to survive.
Jin did not find his final words cowardly. He couldn't tell if it was out of respect, or because he could empathize with the man’s heart—speaking of Hairan rather than the people, his own family, or the Empire.
Far behind Johnsina’s back, a group of dragons and flying ships appeared on the horizon, approaching the Sword Emperor Castle. It was the Zipple forces.
Confirming their arrival, Jin spoke to Johnsina.
“Do not worry. Rest easy, Sir Johnsina. My Runcandel will grow more powerful than Zipple.”
The moment Johnsina drew his last breath.
On the opposite side of the Zipple reinforcements, appearing from behind the Sword Emperor Castle, more dragons were spotted.
A Black Dragon and a Silver Dragon. And the Dragon Knights of Hairan.
Murakan and Quicantel had returned with the Five Sword Saints of Hairan, having rescued the Dragon Knights.