Chapter 673: Beneath the Imperial Palace... (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 673: Beneath the Imperial Palace... (2)
Yona Runcandel.
The moment Jin laid eyes on her—on those cold, heartless eyes drenched in chaos and murderous intent—he nearly lost his mind.
However, showing even a momentary lapse in judgment before a being like her was nothing short of suicide.
Damn it, what did those bastards do to my sister!
The love he felt for his only younger sister was far deeper and more immense than the hatred that surged within him for Rosa and the Garden of Swords.
That was the only reason Jin was able to maintain his composure in that split second.
It wasn't a survival instinct that moved him; it was the desire to protect his sister. He wanted to ensure that when she finally came to her senses, she wouldn't be overwhelmed by the guilt and pain of having harmed him.
Clang—!
Bradamante, descending like a bolt of lightning, parried Yona’s blade.
Yona looked momentarily taken aback, as if she hadn't expected him to deflect the strike so easily. Dante was not one to miss such an opening.
“Jin…!”
Yet, Dante did not press the advantage during Yona’s hesitation. He knew better than anyone what she meant to Jin, and he couldn't bring himself to hurt her recklessly.
By missing this chance to end the confrontation as soon as it began, there was no telling what would happen. If they failed to subdue Yona quickly, the situation could spiral out of control. While Yona bought time, an invasion could begin through other tunnels, or she could slip away from them and begin a massacre of the capital’s civilians.
In essence, Dante had prioritized his friend’s heart over the safety of the Empire.
It was a choice he should never have made as the supreme ruler of the Empire, but Dante couldn't help himself.
“Thank you, Dante.”
“Whew. What should we do? I’m embarrassed to admit I ask you that far too often.”
Jin quickly regained his calm.
An intense rage, stronger than any he had ever felt, welled up within him, but his mind and spirit became sharper and more resolute than ever. If he made even the slightest mistake now, he might lose Yona forever.
She’s rampaging from the chaos, and the Prophet must have used some other trick on her.
Perhaps because of that, her movements were cruder than the Yona Jin knew. Though she was more destructive, the uniquely fluid, shadow-like movements she was known for had clearly faded.
Can I subdue her?
After two more exchanges, he reached a conclusion.
“Dante, I think we can subdue her if we’re willing to take a few hits.”
If it were a matter of killing her, they could have done it easily without taking any damage. From Dante’s perspective, killing Yona was the objectively correct choice, and Jin was making an unreasonable request.
“Very well.”
However, Dante didn't even hesitate. If it had been Ron in that tunnel, he would have made the same request of Jin.
“I owe you a great debt.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I'm nowhere near repaying the debts I owe you.”
Whoosh—!
Jin coated Bradamante in spirit energy.
Yet, even as that thick spirit energy blazed like fire and pointed toward her, Yona showed no particular reaction.
Is it because she’s lost her reason? If it were really her, she’d be showing a strong aversion to spirit energy.
Yona casually pressed her blade against Bradamante, which was wreathed in spiritual power.
Furthermore, her sword was not Death. At a glance, it looked like it, but it was slightly longer and, above all, lacked that characteristic, eerie chill.
“Hup!”
Dante let out a sharp breath as he sidestepped, a few strands of his hair clipped by Yona’s blade. She had decided to eliminate him first.
“I suppose I should be ready for more than a few deep wounds.”
“It seems no major battle has broken out outside yet. There’s no sign of a disturbance.”
“You can feel that from here?”
“It’s a lingering effect from experiencing the senses of a Fighting God. I can only hope this tunnel was made just to sneak Yona in.”
Dante’s nerves were so frayed from just keeping Yona in check that he couldn't pay attention to anything else. Even if that weren't the case, perceiving the situation on the surface from deep within this tunnel was beyond him.
“You’ve truly become a monster, Jin.”
“Maybe that’s why these trials keep coming my way.”
As Jin began to actively pressure her, Yona was forced to abandon her plan of taking out Dante first.
It was a pincer attack from the man closest to being the world's strongest magic swordsman and the Empire's greatest sword. Moreover, the two of them were as synchronized as twins. Against them, all Yona could do was unleash desperate, haphazard attacks.
The problem was that every single one of those attacks was lethal. Even if she had grown dull, a God of Murder was still a God of Murder, and the darkness of the tunnel made her even more elusive.
One moment she was in front of them, and the next, a blade emerged from behind. Just when they thought they had parried her, a thrust would come from a blind spot.
Even with Jin and Dante fighting back-to-back, her ability to create and exploit blind spots was something only Yona could achieve.
[Ugh… Die… Jin… Runcandel…]
She didn't look like Yona at all.
That fact continued to claw at his heart, but Jin did not lose his composure.
“This reminds me of my first visit to Nameless. Back then, my friend and I nearly died at your hands, too.”
[Kill… you…!]
“And just like then, you won't kill me today. I'll make sure of it—for your own good.”
There were many moments where Jin and Dante could have finished Yona. However, an opportunity to subdue her without killing her rarely presented itself, and the number of minor wounds on the two men continued to grow.
Once Yona realized that they weren't even attempting to cut her deeply, her attacks became increasingly bold and dangerous.
“Is it still alright outside?”
“If something happens, I’ll let you know immediately… Wait, Dante.”
“Has it started!?”
“No, not that. You called me a monster just now, didn't you?”
“What brought that on all of a sudden?”
Monster. A word that had been accurately recorded in Valeria’s record magic window, unlike the name ‘… Runcandel.’
Why did Valeria’s record specifically refer to him as a monster?
—But if that’s Joshua, is there any reason his name wouldn't appear correctly in the record magic?
—Well, it could be because he accepted chaos and became a completely new entity. Of course, I can’t be certain; it’s just a gut feeling.
Suddenly, a conversation he’d had with his comrades before coming to the Sword Emperor Castle flashed through his mind.
If it’s because he became a new entity by accepting chaos, as we deduced, the name should have been left blank. Is there some distinction between what happened to Joshua, the ‘… Runcandel,’ and what’s happening to Sister Yona?
In that case… could it be that this isn't Sister Yona?
The thought struck him. Perhaps the Prophet had created a clone of Yona or something else entirely, just as she had with Joshua.
Besides, judging by her state, she isn't being properly controlled. It's also strange to dig such a massive tunnel just for her. If they intended to send more people, the outside should already be in chaos. Striking the surface while Dante and I are tied down here would be the most effective strategy.
If the Yona before his eyes was not the real Yona, there was no reason to endure these injuries just to subdue her. And this Yona bore no resemblance to the one Jin knew.
If it were Sister Yona, she would have been in agony at least once. Even if a being like Heluram or Gliek had possessed her directly, by now, she would have shown pain at the thought of fighting me…
The Yona Jin knew was that kind of person.
She was always in a precarious state because of the chaos. Because of the chaos, she had killed people for a long time without much reason. And because of the chaos, she always made others tremble in fear.
But she was also the person who overcame that terrible chaos to eventually love Jin, her family, and humanity.
She was the younger sister who wove green roses for Jin even while constantly hearing voices telling her to kill.
“Dante, go outside.”
“Jin, are you planning to give up on Lady Yona? Don’t do it!”
“I have no intention of doing that. I’ll buy time. Go and bring Yuria.”
“Princess Yuria?”
“This might not be my sister. I'll explain later. Just know I can't hold her off alone for long.”
That was an understatement. Even with both of them fighting, they were preparing for serious injuries just to subdue her. They were essentially acting as punching bags.
“I’ll be back as fast as I can!”
As soon as Dante turned his back, Yona’s blade surged forward without fail. Jin blocked her path, parrying the sword that was little more than a blur.
“Earlier, I felt like I was going crazy from some foul, ominous feeling I couldn't identify. But now, my head is clearing. I can finally breathe. I'm starting to think you aren't the real deal.”
Slash—!
Yona’s sword grazed Jin’s cheek.
Jin still did not strike at her openings.
He continued to face her alone for about ten minutes.
By the end, Jin was covered in blood, but his breathing and movements remained unchanged. The senses he had been using to monitor the outside world were now focused solely on her.
“Jin!”
“Big Brother Jin!”
Dante grit his teeth the moment he saw the blood-soaked Jin, but Yuria realized at a glance that there were no deep wounds and wasn't as shocked.
“The outside?” Jin asked Dante.
“It’s fine! Are you alright!?”
“Big Brother Jin is fine. And that person…”
Yuria focused for a moment, manifesting the Authority of Az Mil. As her eyes turned a shade of green, she began to perceive the truth of the figure before them.
“It’s not Sister Yona!”
“Is it a clone like Joshua’s?”
“I don’t think it’s even that. It’s just… a soulless combat doll. That’s how it looks to my eyes.”
“You’re certain it’s not Sister Yona?”
“Absolutely not.”
The moment Yuria confirmed it, Jin’s legs gave out, and he dropped to one knee.
An indescribable sense of relief washed over him. The Yona before him was not real.
Of course, the fake Yona lunged forward to finish Jin in that opening. Horrified, Dante fired a blast of sword energy to protect him.
Yona’s sword was faster than that energy.
However, even while kneeling, Jin swung Bradamante. In a single fluid motion, he parried the fake Yona’s sword and followed through to sever her head.
“Right… I knew it. There’s no way our Yona would be like this.”
The decapitated fake Yona struggled for a moment before dissolving into ash and vanishing.
In the spot where she had disappeared, a single black lump remained.