Chapter 620: Fighting King Tournament (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 620: Fighting King Tournament (7)
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“Is he really going to keep this up?”
“What’s gotten into Brother Jin?”
“Is he truly so angry that we asked for a new verification—angry enough to stab his own brother? He’s the successor to the Fighting God! If he had any consideration for what we’ve been through, he should have understood.”
“Besides, not all of us insisted on a re-evaluation. Even the Ten Fighting Kings just wanted a fair tournament; they weren't trying to strip him of anything.”
“For god’s sake, say something!”
Just as Baba had said, the Pluto Tribe, despite their fury, still couldn't bring themselves to truly kill or exile Jin.
Though they had spoken in Kaio’s infirmary as if ready to cast him out, what they truly wanted was a conversation. The unwritten law of the Pluto Tribe—that brothers hold no grudges against one another—still applied to Jin.
However, Jin was making the situation progressively worse.
The Pluto Tribe was ready to soften their hearts if he offered even a single sincere apology, but Jin only met every brother who visited him with a cold rebuff.
As the days passed, their disappointment deepened. Looking at this infinitely cold, selfish, and callous version of Jin, they began to wonder if the person they once knew had ever truly existed.
“Everything that bastard showed us was a lie. How can a person change so completely overnight? We were ready to give him everything!”
“If he had just been honest—if he’d said he inherited Sigmund and didn’t want to be tested—would we have ignored him? The Ten Fighting Kings and every other brother would have accepted it.”
“He seems convinced we’re just making a fuss to steal what’s his. The truth is, he hated the idea of giving his brothers an equal opportunity. His attitude is, ‘How dare these people, who can’t even leave this place without me, try to test my qualifications?’ That’s how he’s acting.”
“He was never meant to be a true member of the Pluto Tribe. In the end, he’s just a human—a member of a race steeped in greed!”
Disappointment curdled into anger, and anger soon shifted into something bordering on hatred. No one could have imagined that such a deep rift could form in their relationship so suddenly.
Seventy-seven members. Seventy-eight, including Jin. Seventy-nine, if you counted Ling Ling.
The city, filled with gold that carried an air of ancient honor and dignity, had always felt vibrant and radiant whenever Jin visited, despite its small population. Now, it was thick with a bleak, chilling tension.
“Whew.”
Jin spent his time in the empty houses on the outskirts of Laprarosa, far from the Great Temple. Even during the Fighting King Tournament, he refused to visit the main hall unless it was for his own match.
I felt this last time, too, but this is a truly terrible thing to do.
His heart was not at ease. When he provoked Kaio, when he stabbed him, and even now as he continued to antagonize all his brothers—his chest ached with a bitter pain, as if it were filled with rusty water.
But as the situation grew more severe, he became more certain that this was a trial he had to endure.
I can’t let them feel like my inheritance of Sigmund was some unearned reward.
Rank.
In the Pluto Tribe, everyone was equal, save for the Fighting God. Looking back, however, Jin had always occupied an exceptional position.
He had learned the Pluto Sword before even becoming a brother, and he inherited Sigmund almost immediately after. Because of this, Jin’s place in their ranks was always second only to Ban. In the opening match, he had even fought the entire Pluto Tribe through the Fighting God Union.
In all that time, they had only spent a few years together.
They had never fought side-by-side in a life-or-death struggle, never defended territory, never conquered, never slaughtered enemies, and never wagered their fates together in a war.
Jin had always been on the receiving end. But as Tantel had said, the Pluto Tribe were people, too, and they possessed very ordinary emotions. Even after accepting Jin as a brother and acknowledging his rank, they still viewed him as someone they needed to “take care of.”
They couldn’t help it. The Pluto Tribe was trapped in a dead world, and their time with Jin was fleeting. In a way, they could only see him as a younger brother.
As the brother holding the second rank, Jin believed he needed to become a rival for them to overcome, not a ward for them to protect. He had to move beyond being the weak one and become their equal—and beyond that, someone they had to transcend.
If he could have demonstrated his worth through transcendent power like Ban, or if he had enough time for them to see it naturally, he wouldn't have needed to incite this conflict. It would have been the same if the Pluto Tribe were to remain trapped in Laprarosa forever. There would have been no problem with him simply remaining their beloved youngest, basking in their affection.
But if he was to fight alongside them in the outside world, and if he was to one day lead them…
A real fight was necessary. Not a performance that resembled a fight, but a genuine struggle.
He needed to see what remained when it was over.
It wasn't that Jin was without worry. There was no guarantee this struggle would end well.
Empty my mind. Until the tournament is over, I only need to focus on training.
Meditation and review.
Ever since waking up, Jin had been growing stronger with every moment he wasn't in a match. The injuries from his fight with Kaio had further stimulated his senses from the Fighting God Union, and his training reached a level an entire dimension higher than before.
The optimal path to stab and cut a target. A cold composure maintained under any circumstance. The instinct to evade death. And glimpses of a landscape seen only by those who once seemed as distant as great mountains…
In other words, the world of nothingness that only the transcendent can know.
The image of that world was being drawn incessantly in his mind. Jin absorbed it all with startling speed, thanks in large part to the sensations he had experienced through Ban during the Fighting God Union.
But that wasn't all.
The Fighting God’s senses are those of a man who has been strong every single moment since birth. Just like Father.
To those senses, Jin’s own unique domain was being added.
The unique domain of the warrior Jin Runcandel—forged at rock bottom, through a long mire of despair and a brush with death—was coloring that world of transcendence with even greater variety.
As a result…
Three days later, in the 31st match, Jin defeated the 11th Fighting King, Nata, in a head-on confrontation. Nata had fought with venomous intent, and a fierce battle ensued, but in the end, Jin was the victor.
“Does this mean he wasn't using his full strength against the Ten Fighting Kings before?”
“No. He’s gotten stronger. In just that short amount of time.”
“Hmph. Jin must have known how fast he was growing. That’s why he’s become so arrogant and crossed the line. He’s forgotten that this is all a privilege he gained through the Fighting God Union and his inheritance.”
In the 38th match, he lost to Belize. However, he lost only after severing her right arm and putting her on the verge of death. And just as he had warned her beforehand, he didn't stop there.
“You…!”
Just as he had with Kaio, he thrust his blade toward her throat even after the match had been decided.
Fortunately, the Pluto Tribe was watching Jin more closely than ever. The blade never reached Belize’s neck, nor did she get a chance to counterattack and end Jin’s life. Instead, the tribe fired bolts of lightning to force them apart.
In the process, Jin’s limbs were twisted, while Belize was left unharmed. By now, the Pluto Tribe had no qualms about violently suppressing him.
Their rage toward him intensified.
“That madman… he really tried to kill a brother again.”
“Brother Belize defended Jin until this morning. I’m sure even she has changed her mind now.”
Once Jin had recovered, he defeated Garmund in the 46th match, then suffered defeats against Baltirok and Rumora in the 50th and 54th matches, respectively.
Every time he lost, he fought like a demon to the very end before being forced into submission. No one was surprised by this behavior anymore.
Jin’s body was becoming increasingly haggard. Repeating a cycle of recovering only to fight the Fighting Kings to his absolute limit was taking its toll; even a blessed Runcandel body couldn't hold out forever.
The other members of the Pluto Tribe were also accumulating damage, but they and Jin were fighting entirely different battles. Jin’s matches were filled with a malice and hatred that couldn't be found in the bouts between any other brothers.
That dark energy was eating away at him like black ink.
“I… cannot… fight you.”
In the 60th match, Linpa, Jin’s opponent, spoke as soon as the match began. She simply didn't have the heart to fight the battered and broken Jin. The rest of the Pluto Tribe respected her decision. Linpa was the one who had tried to stop her brothers from challenging the gods, and out of guilt for her failure, she had entered a vow of silence.
The next match is with Brother Baba anyway.
No matter how fast he’s growing, he can never defeat Brother Baba. He’s already losing to the other Fighting Kings…
In the end, Brother Baba will put a stop to this. Even he, who tolerated Jin’s rampage until now, is trembling with rage.
Baba, like Belize, was one of the last to give up hope on Jin. Even now, she was ready to forgive him if he would only reach out. She desperately prayed that Jin would not venture any further into the deep, dark place from which there was no return.
“You won’t fight me?”
At Jin’s cold voice, Linpa nodded and turned away.
“Yes…”
“I’m warning you, Linpa. Take one more step, and I will cut you down where you stand. Do not run from this fight.”
Linpa ignored him and continued walking.
And Jin slashed her back with his spirit sword.
Because Linpa reacted, the wound was shallow, but it left a long, bloody laceration. Red blood splattered onto the ground.
Those bloodstains, like severed red threads, seemed to symbolize the end of the relationship between the Pluto Tribe and Jin.
“B-Brother Linpa!”
“That crazy bastard…!”
Ban raised a hand, restraining the Pluto Tribe members who were about to charge in.
“He has not yet broken the rules. If Brother Jin kills the 4th Fighting King, I will deal with him personally. Will you continue, 4th Fighting King?”
“…I will not.”
Silence fell. Jin glanced down at the fallen Linpa, then turned away indifferently as Ban declared the match over.
Just as Jin was about to leave the main hall, Baba suddenly stepped into the center of the arena and spoke.
“Fighting God.”
“Speak, 9th Fighting King.”
“You just referred to Jin as a brother, but we can no longer consider him one of us.”
“What is it you wish to say?”
Baba glared at Jin’s retreating back.
“Therefore, in the next match… may I kill Jin Runcandel?”