Chapter 621: Fighting King Tournament (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 621: Fighting King Tournament (8)
“So be it,” Ban replied in a flat, emotionless voice.
It was the Pluto Tribe, not Jin, who were startled by his answer.
Deep down, they had been hoping that Ban would mediate this terrible situation before it spiraled completely out of control. They had felt this way ever since Jin first stabbed Kaio—no, even earlier, from the moment Garmund and Kaio first began to argue.
Yet, Ban had not intervened in his brothers’ affairs even once. Not even now, as the situation reached its breaking point.
It was utterly incomprehensible. They couldn't tell if he was disappointed in Jin, disappointed in them, or if there was some other reason entirely.
If he had simply shown favoritism toward Jin, the Pluto Tribe would have followed without a word. If he had punished his brothers for daring to demand a new verification of the successor he himself had chosen, they would have accepted it gladly. If he had commanded them to treat Jin’s words as his own from then on, they would have obeyed.
Why do you remain a mere bystander until the very end? Is it because of your guilt over the final war? Do you refuse to make any choice now because you believe the destruction of our race was the result of a decision made by the Fighting God Brothers? Even as your family stands on the verge of such a bitter schism!
Ban looked into Baba’s eyes for a moment. Baba felt as if her innermost thoughts had been laid bare, making her feel like a child throwing a shameful tantrum, but she did not avert her gaze.
“If you can, that is.”
Baba’s eyes widened at Ban’s next words.
After standing dazed for a few seconds, she eventually gritted her teeth so hard it felt as if her molars might shatter.
“……Understood.”
As Ban and Ling Ling flew off, Jin turned to look at Baba and the other members of the Pluto Tribe.
“How kind of you. Both you and Kaio.”
“What?”
“‘I will take your eyes.’ ‘I will kill you.’ Is there really a need to announce such things in advance? If you’re confident, stop talking and just do it. Acting like that only makes you look weak.”
Baba nodded slowly.
“I’ll take that advice to heart.”
*
The fight between Jin and Baba was the 65th match.
The tradition, revived with the hope of liberation, was now nearing its end—much like the relationship between Jin and the Pluto Tribe.
Though several matches remained, the Pluto Tribe essentially viewed this fight as the finale of the Fighting King Tournament. Until this battle began, the other matches held little meaning for them.
Jin’s death was a matter directly linked to the fate of Laprarosa.
Most of the Pluto Tribe shared Baba’s guess that Ban’s guilt over being the leader when their race perished was the reason he hadn’t intervened.
“If the 9th Fighting King kills Jin… our time will likely stop forever. A successor to the Spirit Sword will probably never come again.”
“We were already destroyed. That is the objective truth. Thanks to Solderet, we are merely lingering in a dead world. Jin became our brother and showed us hope, but in the end, he turned his back on us over a trivial conflict. We should never have accepted him as a brother from the start.”
“Yes, from the very beginning… When the Fighting God Brother performed the blood transfusion and asked for our opinion, we should have objected. If we had, we would have simply passed the Spirit Sword to him, and we wouldn't have had to suffer this betrayal….”
Betrayal.
That was how the Pluto Tribe saw Jin’s behavior. They felt he couldn't possibly go this far just because a few of them demanded additional verification.
“In any case, it doesn't feel real. The fact that this evening might truly be our end…”
Amidst the despondent Pluto Tribe members, Baba’s eyes remained firm and filled with resolve.
Time flowed with cruel swiftness. The Pluto Tribe ascended to the Main Hall, their faces clouded with gloom and fury.
Unlike usual, the sky above the Main Hall was pitch black. As if by unspoken agreement, the members were suppressing the Lightning Energy they usually released at the start of a match.
Kaio, who had been bedridden since the 22nd match, also ascended to the Main Hall, carried on Baba’s back.
“Before we begin the 65th match, I have something to tell my brothers.”
The Pluto Tribe members’ eyes widened at Ban’s words.
Could it be?
Is the Fighting God Brother going to mediate now…?!
Even then, Baba’s expression did not waver in the slightest. She had already steeled her resolve.
And the words Ban spoke next far exceeded everyone’s expectations.
“Even if Brother Baba kills Jin in this match, the time of Laprarosa will not stop. Perhaps because she was originally Jin’s chaos, Ling Ling can perform the same role he does.”
“Is… is that true, Fighting God Brother? Ling Ling can do the same thing as Jin?”
[It’s true!]
“It is. I sensed this ever since I took Ling Ling in, but it only became certain two days ago.”
Ban offered no detailed explanation of how it was possible or how he had confirmed it.
Nevertheless, everyone could clearly perceive it. They knew Ban’s words were the truth.
Then, even if Jin dies, our time won't end…!
Since Ling Ling is the First Chaos, she might be capable of even more. Especially if the Fighting God Brother speaks with such certainty.
Laprarosa's fate, which had been solely dependent on Jin, now had an alternative in Ling Ling.
A heavy silence fell. Aside from Ban, only Baba maintained absolute composure within that stillness.
Baba gently handed Kaio over to Garmund.
Garmund scratched the back of his head before adjusting his grip to make Kaio more comfortable.
“I’ll be back.”
Baba slowly walked toward the center of the Main Hall. Behind her stood the eleven Fighting Kings and sixty-four members of the Pluto Tribe.
Behind Jin, who approached from the opposite side, stood no one.
“Let the 65th match begin.”
Even after the match was declared, neither Jin nor Baba drew their swords. For a long time, they stood in silence.
However, the Fighting Spirit emanating from the two was already weighing heavily upon the entire Main Hall.
Barely ten days have passed, yet in that time, he hasn't just recovered… he’s grown even stronger.
The aura flowing from Jin was unusual. The Jin of today was practically a different person from the one who had lost to Rumora in the 54th match.
“‘You may kill him, if you can.’ I wondered why the Fighting God Brother said those words to me.”
“Do you understand now?”
“A little. And I wondered one more thing. Why you would go this far…”
Sssring…
Baba’s sword, Light, slowly slid from its scabbard. It was the sword used by her ancestor Nana, a former Fighting God. True to its name, a dazzling brilliance clung to the blade.
“It was a trivial matter. This verification wasn't an unreasonable demand, nor was it the wish of everyone. But you turned your back on your brothers for just that.”
Jin also slowly drew his sword. Sigmund’s pale blade stood in stark contrast to Light.
“I’m starting to think you were all just anxious. From your perspective, it must have seemed like we, who had always given you our absolute support, were suddenly showing our greed the moment things changed. It must have been a complete shock to you.”
“Laughable. It wasn't even a certainty, but the moment a glimmer of hope appeared that you might leave this place, you all showed your true colors. So I provoked you a little, and in an instant, the majority conspired to take this sword from me. Some even spoke of exile.”
“A little? You call that a little?”
“That is the essence of what you call brotherhood. You split into factions over a few words. You ostracize me—someone recognized as a brother and chosen by the Fighting God to inherit the sword—and you threaten me under the guise of an accident. Seeing you all, I felt nothing but disillusionment.”
“Before you stabbed Brother Kaio—no, even after you stabbed him. Did you truly have no intention of talking it out?”
“I realized that ‘brothers’ are not all treated the same, so what need was there for talk? Is Kaio’s act of threatening me with a potential accident overlooked because he’s a brother? And is my stabbing of Kaio unforgivable because I am not?”
“Brother Kaio didn’t fire in the end. And committing an act is never the same as not committing it. You tried to kill your brother.”
“So, I almost lost an eye or my head, but it’s fine simply because Kaio didn’t fire? By that logic, I stabbed Kaio, but he didn't die. No one died.”
“Furthermore, Brother Kaio’s intention in pressuring you was—”
“Then couldn't I have had a different intention as well? Could you not even consider that there might have been a reason I went as far as stabbing Kaio?”
“Belize, Garmund, the Linpa brothers, and the ordinary warriors went to your infirmary to ask exactly that.”
“They did. They were the only ones who came to see me, and they came to scold me. Did the even greater number of Pluto Tribe members on the other side do the same for Kaio?”
Baba could not answer.
“You don't understand the heart of the problem at all. Your true feelings are simply being revealed now that there's a catalyst. Kaio is a brother, and I was merely a friendly outsider.”
“You’re just nitpicking. Are you going to justify stabbing your brother just because your feelings were hurt? There is a limit to everything.”
“It’s a difference in standards. If you want to prove you’re right, stop talking and prove it with your sword. Now that you have Ling Ling, you have no reason to hesitate in getting rid of me.”
Baba’s eyes turned cold.
“Ling Ling, is it… Whether or not we can leave this place was never the most important issue. I hope you don't think that was the only reason we tolerated you all this time.”
Cr-cr-crackle…!
As Baba began to draw upon her energy, the entire Main Hall was instantly engulfed in vivid blue Lightning Energy.
“I will show you exactly why my brothers believe that I am the one who should inherit the title of Fighting God.”
Pluto Sword 9th Fighting King Ultimate Technique.
Punishment.
Baba surged toward Jin like a blue spear, and Jin swung Sigmund to meet her head-on.
This damn villainous role is finally nearing its end, he thought.