Chapter 637: Return to the Clan (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 637: Return to the Clan (6)
He, too, was undoubtedly a knight forged from Chaos, a power of the Prophet.
However, his appearance was distinct from the other knights. Instead of the murky, black energy typical of Chaos, his entire body was bathed in a faint indigo hue. His eyes held none of the ferocity of a bloodthirsty beast. Instead, the deep, heavy gaze of a martial artist who had reached the pinnacle was fixed on Jin.
He was strong.
So strong that there was no need to exchange blows to know it.
Jin observed him closely, scouring his memory. A description of a former Patriarch he had read about in the Storm Castle library came to mind. Long hair that flared out like a predator's mane—the former Patriarch of Runcandel known as the 'Lion King.'
Lionel Runcandel. That was the name of the man who had emerged from the Mausoleum.
"The youngest of Runcandel greets the Sixth Patriarch of the clan."
Jin showed his respects to Lionel with a calm demeanor.
[Ho, so you recognize me. I heard that almost no stories of me remained. How praiseworthy.]
The records concerning him in the Storm Castle library were nearly all that existed. His era was shortly after Runcandel’s defeat by the Zipple, so most records from that time had been obliterated.
"Since you find me praiseworthy, would you grant me a question as a reward?"
[What is it?]
"Unlike the other manifestations of Chaos, you seem to possess a clear mind and will, Ancestor. If that is the case, the current state of the clan cannot be a pleasant sight for you. Which side have you brought your dead body here to punish?"
[Khahaha! You look ready to pounce this very moment if I don't take your side.]
"Please answer me."
[I am merely a wraith bound to my summoner. Therefore, my task is to punish you. You ask the obvious. Besides, in my view, the judgment of the child named Rosa isn't so bad.]
"Then I can no longer respect you, Lionel. From this moment on, you will suffer the disgrace of being cut down by the sword of your own descendant. I pray you accept it with humility."
[What excellent spirit.]
The Azure Fire reflected in Jin’s eyes sharpened.
Simultaneously, Lionel cleaved the air with a longsword formed of Chaos energy.
Swaaaaak—!
The single, casual strike distorted space, pouring out sword energy that had reached the realm of Sword Tides. The attraction and repulsion it generated swept away the nearby Chaos knights in droves.
Lionel had no interest in their safety. He was filled with a singular thought: he had to kill this descendant—the current Flagbearer of Runcandel, who was undoubtedly considered the strongest in history, save for Temar, and the one who most resembled Cyron.
While Lionel’s sword energy surged toward Jin, Stam, who was aiming for Jin’s back, was inwardly struck with horror.
‘Even though his back is completely turned… I can’t see a single opening.’
He couldn't bring himself to strike. He was certain that even if he lunged, the attack would be meaningless. The 12th Flagbearer whose life he had saved only a few years ago now radiated the majesty of an absolute martial artist.
Furthermore, Jin casually…
He tore apart Lionel’s sword energy with his bare hands.
"I thought you might let me have the first move, but this is just embarrassing."
It was a raw display of power.
Jin was looking up at the larger Lionel, yet Lionel felt as if that gaze was coming from a much higher place.
[Though I lived my life in arrogance, I am not so foolish as to grant such a courtesy to the likes of you.]
Lionel was not flustered, even as he watched his sword energy converge and vanish within Jin’s grasp. He acknowledged it instantly: Jin was stronger than him.
[Small fry, fall back. Standing here, you're less of a threat to him than the air itself.]
Ran, Vigo, Myu, and Anne—those four were the ones Lionel called small fry. They had been commanding the Chaos knights, constantly looking for an opportunity to ambush Jin.
"We cannot do that, Lord Lionel. Our mother’s orders come first."
[Rosa couldn't possibly have intended for you lot to kill that boy. You truly don't know your place. If you have lives to spare, then by all means, do as you wish.]
Shiiiik—!
Lionel closed the distance first. The speed of his charge caused the air to explode, triggering shockwaves everywhere as Jin swung Bradamante to meet him.
In terms of raw power, Lionel held the advantage. Jin was blown backward the moment their swords clashed, and only then did Stam find the first opening he could exploit.
Small cracks spread across the Rune of Mul-ta and the chest of the Spirit Armor. Had Jin not dodged at the last second, their two swords would have pierced straight through his armor, bursting his throat and heart.
Jin’s sword had grazed Lionel’s chest and Stam’s armor as well, but the opening exchange clearly saw him being pushed back.
The three swords, clashing several times a second, rang out with thunderous roars that vibrated the very ground, as if mountains or fortresses were collapsing. The aftershocks spreading from the battle of superhumans began to shatter the swords of the clan's guardians planted in the garden.
The rusted and shining blades, which held the clan's history and pride, were breaking.
The only person in the garden for whom that sight was heart-wrenchingly painful was Jin.
[You are strong. Truly, marvelously strong! Can you not fight on your mother’s side? With your power and Rosa’s, you could easily grasp this world in your hands!]
"Lionel, you introduced yourself as merely a wraith bound to a summoner."
Jin shoved Stam back and parried Lionel’s vertical slash.
"I am the same. I am a man bound to the values of this clan. No matter how easy the path, no matter how sweet the temptation… I cannot turn away from those values. From the struggle. That is our dreadful purpose."
[I spoke nonsense out of admiration for your talent. But listen, survival is the very foundation of struggle. Your mother is fulfilling that more faithfully than anyone.]
"I admit it. If Rosa Runcandel belonged to any other clan, I would have considered her a great figure."
Psh!
A pale spray of blood erupted from Lionel’s right cheek.
He hadn't even perceived the moment Jin’s sword passed his face. It was the first time in his life—including his time among the living—that he had completely lost track of an opponent's blade in combat.
‘If I hadn't reacted subconsciously, it would have ended right there.’
Yet Lionel wasn't surprised. He simply realized once more that he was facing an unprecedentedly powerful enemy, the likes of whom he had never encountered even when he was alive.
Fear and ecstasy sent a chill down Lionel’s spine. Stam was overwhelmed by a similar sensation.
[Even with martial prowess that would have made you an absolute being in my era, you still cling to a mere boy’s dream. That will be the reason you die here today.]
Jin did not answer and swung his sword again.
The sheer magnitude of pure power was still in Lionel and Stam’s favor. Scratches on the Rune of Mul-ta and the Spirit Armor multiplied as time passed, and his breathing grew labored.
In contrast, Lionel and Stam’s swords were gradually achieving perfect synchronization. Whenever Lionel moved in to create an opening, Stam’s blade would invariably stab or slash at the Spirit Armor.
Blood began to trickle from beneath Jin's helmet.
‘As expected, handling both of them in this state is too much.’
He just had to hold out a little longer.
Though he hadn't lost his composure, Jin was clearly being driven into a corner. Lionel showed no signs of fatigue even while unleashing Decisive Techniques, and Stam controlled the flow of battle as if he combined the traits of Yona and Luna.
Stam was incredibly silent when piercing an opening and oppressively heavy when applying pressure. Because of this, Jin found him to be an even more troublesome opponent than Lionel.
‘Furthermore, those two surely have trump cards they’re saving.’
The same was true for Jin. However, he was constantly mindful of variables he absolutely could not handle. It would be a waste to use his hidden aces now.
‘The Chaos energy battering the Karma Fire is gradually thinning. If this trend continues, the time I need to hold out without revealing my other cards is…'
About five minutes.
If he could just endure that long, he could reclaim the power of the Karma Fire that was currently protecting the escaping resistance members. That was the reason he had been losing the power struggle against Lionel and Stam.
‘It’ll be difficult to withstand their offensive with pure swordsmanship alone until then…'
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Jin suddenly felt the Chaos energy touching the Karma Fire weaken drastically. From afar, he felt someone’s aura beginning to push back the Chaos in earnest.
Jorden Runcandel. He had begun to release the power he had stockpiled under the protection of the Karma Fire.
Gaaaaah—!
High above, Tess, who had been protecting the resistance, let out a roar. It was the signal that the resistance members had escaped the Garden of Swords and were heading toward Kalon.
Jin smiled in spite of himself.
‘It’s done.’
The flames of the Karma Fire that had filled the Garden of Swords vanished all at once.
Simultaneously, Lionel and Stam widened the distance. They had recognized that Jin’s aura had changed the moment the Karma Fire disappeared.
But the Karma Fire hadn't vanished; it had simply returned to Jin.
Converging back into him, the Karma Fire dyed him blue once more. The Rune of Mul-ta and the Spirit Armor deactivated, and Jin’s revealed body became a perfect vessel for the Karma Fire of the Flame Emperor.
‘You mean the Karma Fire he used while facing us was only at half-strength?!’
Neither Lionel nor Stam had even considered such a possibility. They knew the Karma Fire was protecting the resistance, but they couldn't have imagined he was unable to exert his full power because of it.
It wasn't that their insight was lacking. No one would have thought that the transcendent fire—which had held back the Chaos exhaled by the entire Garden of Swords—was only half of his true power.
"Lionel, before I finish this, I think I should tell you one thing."
Lionel’s wide-open eyes were trembling. He was in awe, like a descendant blessed to witness the legend of the Flame Emperor, Sarah Runcandel, firsthand.
"Unlike you, Lady Sarah fought for Runcandel for a thousand years, even in death. Even though her body was broken and her spirit was shattered… throughout those long years, she never once compromised."
Can you still call her thousand-year struggle a mere boy’s dream?
Lionel could not find an answer to Jin’s unspoken question.
"You cannot answer. That is why you will die once more in this place today."
Bradamante surged toward Lionel and Stam, like the blade of a guillotine falling to execute traitors.