Chapter 695: Yona, Yona, Yona... (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 695: Yona, Yona, Yona... (4)
Once the veil of chaos sealed itself shut, the summoned monsters let out a collective roar. The force of their energy distorted the barrier, blurring the view within as the Yonas began to move once more.
‘So Joshua’s plan was to use these monsters to bolster my sister and the fakes… That man is despicable through and through.’
Joshua had never reached a realm as high as Jin’s, which was why he believed such a shallow trick would work against them.
But a ploy like this could never deceive the senses of a true superhuman. Of course, given the nature of Yona and her duplicates, even the slightest variable was a potential threat, but it was nowhere near enough to challenge this group.
“Good grief. You must have suffered quite a bit, Jin, having to deal with someone like that as the 2nd Flagbearer.”
“It was an ordeal in many ways.”
Hedo was the first to step forward, unleashing his Sword Tao. A wave of sword energy spread out, engulfing the monsters before erupting in a blinding flash.
As bone and flesh rained down, three of the Yonas lunged at Oul simultaneously. Unlike Jin, Oul couldn't distinguish the real one, so he focused solely on parrying their attacks.
“Please remain on the defensive against my sister and the fakes,” Jin said. “I will take them out one by one.”
“Understood.”
The remnants of the monsters Hedo had just slain were already coalescing into new beasts. Their regeneration was outpacing his slaughter.
Hedo frowned, displeased by this—and by the subpar temporary sword he was forced to use—and drew upon even more of his power.
However, he hesitated to swing that power recklessly. He had to stop the monsters from multiplying, but if he doubled his current output, he risked catching the Yonas in the crossfire.
‘Should I switch to close-quarters combat? No, that would increase the area Jin has to cover. It would be a nuisance.’
Just as Hedo was weighing his options, something suddenly shot out from Oul’s sleeve.
It was thousands of threads, each finer than a human hair. Imbued with Oul’s energy, they shot out and ensnared the monsters at random. When some of the beasts began to disintegrate under the pressure, Oul demonstrated his delicate control, reducing his output just enough to keep them bound without killing them.
“Oh. This makes things much easier, Nameless King. I have been impressed by your abilities for some time now.”
“I originally saved these to bind the fakes, but since Jin can distinguish them, there is no longer a need for that.”
While the superhumans exchanged pleasantries, Jin cut down another fake.
‘Now only Sister and five fakes remain.’
From that point on, the Yonas stopped targeting Jin recklessly. It wasn't a calculated decision, but pure instinct. As far as Jin could tell, the Yonas were currently devoid of reason.
They were blindly carrying out Joshua’s orders. If the fakes had possessed the same judgment Yona had before succumbing to chaos, even Jin would have found this a difficult fight.
Whoosh!
Jin’s faintly glowing magic sword lit up the area like a torch. The Yonas struggled to avert their gaze from the blade; the moment their eyes met its light, a searing pain shot through them, as if they were being burned from the inside out.
Jin was well aware that his yet-unnamed sword possessed this power.
Thus, he began to hunt the Yonas first. Every time Bradamante sliced through the subspace, the Yonas would briefly appear before vanishing like smoke.
At this rate, the hunt would take ages. In fact, for a time, Jin couldn't land a single kill and was forced to simply search the subspace.
However, Jin had brought powerhouses from every faction precisely to prevent such a stalemate.
Riiip!
With a vertical swing of his sword, Jin tore open the side of the subspace.
“Eek!”
“Wh-what a… surprise…”
At that moment, Ranke and Bianca appeared, their eyes wide with shock. They had just arrived nearby and were about to break into the subspace themselves.
“You’re here.”
“H-how did you… know we… were…”
“How did he know? Ugh, this is frustrating! Bianca, can’t you speak a little faster? At all?”
“How else? I read your energy.”
“You read our energy?”
“You read… our energy…?”
Ranke and Bianca looked at each other, puzzled. Because of the veil of chaos, they hadn't been able to sense any of the energy flowing inside.
“Anyway, get in here and pressure my sister and the fakes. I want you to drive them into a corner, but focus only on defense.”
“How the hell are we supposed to drive them into a corner by only defending?”
“You can because I'll be the one applying the real pressure. And I'll say this one more time: it won't be funny if my real sister gets so much as a scratch. Now, get to work.”
Ranke entered the veil, cursing under his breath, while Bianca followed with a nod.
With the two of them added to the fray, the Yonas shifted their focus entirely to hiding. Jin was certain they would soon try to flee.
‘The entrance the Kinzelo members used isn't repairing itself. That must be because Sir Veil is currently engaged with Joshua.’
When Veil had opened it, the entrance had been restored immediately. That was only possible because Joshua was constantly funneling chaotic energy here, but not anymore. He was too busy dealing with an enraged Veil to pay this place any mind.
Jin feigned negligence, deliberately moving away from the gaping tear he’d created. He was waiting for one of the Yonas to take the bait.
Driven by pure instinct, they fell for the trap all too easily. The moment Jin turned his back, one of the fakes broke its stealth and dashed for the exit.
Of course, the fake didn't get far.
Zzzzt!
The mana Jin had pre-planted at the entrance erupted into a barrier of ice. The fake tried to shatter the wall with its sword, but in that split second, Jin was already behind it.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Bradamante pierced through the fake’s back. It shuddered once before disintegrating, leaving behind a black lump of residue.
“Any other fakes want to leave?” Jin asked with a smile.
Now only four fakes remained. As their numbers dwindled, so did their options.
Near the center of the subspace, Hedo and Oul were still suppressing the monsters from the inner core, while Ranke and Bianca rushed to block the Yonas whenever Jin’s fire revealed their locations.
“Can’t… go… until… the real one… comes out.”
“Ugh, that idiot is helping like it’s his own family business, right to the very end.”
Jin carefully scanned the area. At this rate, he felt he could finish off the remaining fakes and retrieve Yona within thirty minutes.
However, that feeling of confidence was short-lived.
Suddenly, the chaotic subspace began to vibrate violently.
“Huh? Hey! It feels like this whole place is about to explode!” Ranke shouted.
Everyone else recognized the signs of an impending collapse. The reason was obvious: it was Joshua’s final act of spite.
‘You bastard, you’d do this even at the very end. I guess you chose self-destruction while Sir Veil was beating you to a pulp.’
If that was the case, he had to change tactics immediately.
“Everyone, scatter! Do everything you can to stop the explosion!”
The scale of a subspace explosion was impossible to predict. The entire forest could be vaporized, or the blast could even reach the distant civilian homes.
At Jin’s command, Hedo, Oul, Bianca, and Ranke scattered to their positions.
The Yonas also seemed to panic at the sudden collapse, shrieking like animals trapped in a forest fire as they leaped haphazardly around the crumbling space.
Jin sharpened all of his senses.
‘No matter how powerful the explosion is, if those four block it with everything they have, it won't reach the civilian houses.’
Therefore, he had to find and protect his sister. In her current state, she lacked the strength to protect herself from an explosion of this magnitude.
Even if she did survive, it would be the power of chaos that saved her, not her own. The chaos would naturally consume and restore her the moment her physical body collapsed. In other words, the physical mutation Jin feared most would occur.
Rumble!
The chaos forming the subspace began to converge on a single point. In about five seconds, all the energy would condense and detonate.
Within those five seconds, Jin had to find the real Yona among the fakes and secure her.
But there was a reason the other powerhouses—especially Oul, who cherished Yona as much as Jin did—had obediently followed his order to contain the explosion instead of searching for her.
It was because they were certain. They believed that if it was Jin, he could do it.
Jin lunged forward, throwing himself through the chaos. It was like catching a child about to fall into a rushing river.
“Sister!”
Yona still held her sword, but Jin didn't care and pulled her into a tight embrace. He was nearly stabbed in the abdomen, but he managed to knock her blade aside at the last second.
As the subspace exploded, Yona squeezed her eyes shut. Jin deployed a shield, holding her tight.
Rwaaaaaar! Crackle!
The bodies of the fakes, who had lunged at the siblings like ghouls, were torn apart.
[Kieeeeeek…!]
[Ack!]
The heat of the subspace explosion incinerated even the black lumps they left behind.
The explosion, which began with a deafening roar that threatened to burst their eardrums, continued for over five minutes. The powerhouses swung their weapons and maintained their shields without rest. And in the end, Jin succeeded in protecting his youngest sister.
“Is everyone alright?” Hedo was the first to speak, surveying the area.
“I am fine,” Oul replied. “You bore the brunt of the explosion, yet you don't have a single scratch.”
“I must have some qualities superior to yours, shouldn't I? It seems the Kinzelo executives are also intact. Hmm, perhaps not that fellow?”
“Gasp, wheeze… What kind of nightmare was that? I thought I was going to die!”
“Ranke… is weak… It was… manageable.”
“You! Cough, hack!”
Ranke, who had shouted in anger, collapsed while spitting up blood. Bianca hurriedly moved to support him. Behind them, Jin was still holding Yona.
His neck and back were covered in fresh scratches. Yona, still in a berserk state, continued to claw at him, but Jin was simply happy.
“Sister,” he whispered. “Let’s go home now.”
Yona replied with a screech. At the same time, the rest of the group, excluding Jin, looked up at the sky.
Floating high above was the Zipple fleet, which had just arrived.