Chapter 78: The Phenomenon Known as Runcandel (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 78: The Phenomenon Known as Runcandel (1)
Axe-Sword Krantel.
That bizarre weapon—a greatsword with its tip forged like an axe—was born from Luna’s personal preference and nothing more.
At a glance, it looked heavy and inefficient. In truth, its weight easily exceeded that of three or four grown men combined.
Yet, in Luna’s hands, the axe-sword moved as if it were as light as a feather.
Ssh! Clang!
Her first strike split the Breath; her second batted the face of the Demon God Stone aside. The severed Breath gouged deep furrows in the empty earth, while the stone artifact was sent hurtling toward Andrei like a discarded toy.
Andrei, who had remained composed ever since revealing the Demon God Stone, now showed a flicker of tension. Buretta, having landed on the ground, didn't dare attempt a follow-up attack.
The moment Luna appeared, the very air of the battlefield shifted.
She stood before Jin, surveying the scene for a moment before letting a faint smile grace her lips.
“The Vice Patriarch of the Zipples and a Wind Dragon. Heh. I suppose it takes at least this much to justify calling for your big sister. Youngest, are you hurt?”
Luna turned, the sun at her back.
The moment Jin met her deep, calm eyes, he knew with absolute certainty: this battle was already won.
This was what it meant to be truly ‘strong.’
“No, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. If you’d been hurt, I would have had to tear through the Zipple main house after killing these two.”
Goosebumps broke out across Jin’s skin. First, because he could feel the depth of his sister’s affection.
Second, because he realized that ‘tearing through the Zipple main house’ was by no means an impossible feat for Luna.
“Anyway, I missed you. You have no idea how boring my days have been without you. I assume it was the same for you?”
“I believe so.”
“Always so stoic.”
Murakan, who had just landed beside them, wrapped his wings around Jin.
[Kid, you really do have a great sister. Phew, I thought I was a goner.]
“Lord Murakan, it feels a bit awkward to call this our first meeting, doesn’t it? It would be proper for me to give a formal greeting as the eldest daughter of Runcandel, but I’m about to be rather busy. Please look after my youngest brother.”
[Fine. I’ll leave the rest to you, Luna Runcandel.]
“Sister, be careful. That artifact, the Demon God Stone, already resurrected the Wind Dragon once.”
“Don’t worry. Just get going, little brother. The adults will handle this.”
With Jin on his back and Quicantel in his mouth, Murakan began to bolt. It was a comical sight, but if they didn't get as far away as possible, they would be swept up in the wake of Luna’s power. In their current state, they needed to be at least five hundred meters away to be safe.
[Now, now, let’s just watch from a nice, safe distance. Quicantel, don’t feel too ashamed. Dragons are naturally predisposed to fear the Origin Stone, even an imitation like that.]
It didn't take long for Jin’s group to put some distance between them.
Until they were gone, Andrei and Buretta did nothing but glare at Luna, seemingly stunned into silence.
Luna, meanwhile, focused on the Demon God Stone in Andrei’s hand.
What on earth is that? Such an ominous power… It feels similar to the energy from that demon I slew before.
Whatever it was, it didn't matter.
There was nothing she could not cut.
With that thought, Luna slowly leveled her axe-sword at Andrei.
“Are you going to keep playing mute, Andrei Zipple? I’d like an explanation as to why a man of your stature is meddling with my little brother.”
Andrei’s brow furrowed.
“……Ho-ho, an unexpected variable. White Whale, Runcandel has just broken the oath. Your brother was using magic.”
“That’s right, we broke it. Not that word of this will ever reach your family. Ah, but if you’d like, I can go tell Kelliark myself. I’ll be sure to include the story of how you ran from my father at the banquet, shaking in terror.”
Andrei ground his teeth.
Luna Runcandel… How dare this insignificant girl.
He couldn't let his rage show, however.
This girl is a mere human, not even worthy of being nourishment for the Demon God Stone. Unless she’s a demigod like her father, she can’t possibly withstand this power.
Andrei had absolute faith in the Demon God Stone.
And this Runcandel girl had no inkling of what that power truly was.
It might have been difficult if she were using magic, but as long as I have the Demon God Stone, I cannot lose. Nothing has changed.
With that thought, the calm returned to Andrei’s eyes.
“Very well. I, too, have long thought a day would come for us to settle things. Let us see if your skill truly matches the lofty name of the White Whale.”
“I’ve found that Zipples have a real talent for making tedious speeches. You’re no exception.”
Whoosh!
With a single kick, Luna shot off the ground, closing the distance to Andrei in an instant.
By the time Andrei flinched, the axe-sword was already tracing a heavy arc through the air.
“And strangely, among the Zipples…”
CRACK!
Andrei barely managed to block the opening strike with the face of the Demon God Stone. Simultaneously, Buretta lunged, her long neck striking at Luna, but in the next instant, Luna was already at the dragon’s flank.
“…there aren't many who actually know me well.”
Slice!
The tip of one of Buretta’s wings was lopped off. The wound was minor, but Buretta was shaken. She hadn't even seen the attack, only realizing she’d been cut after the fact.
What is this speed…?!
Light.
To Buretta and Andrei, Luna’s movements were like a flash of light. It was a speed impossible to follow with the naked eye, an absolute velocity that reduced their defense to mere guesswork.
“Are you going to keep facing me in your true form, Dragon? Having a large body won't do you any favors.”
Hearing that humiliating advice, Buretta surprisingly transformed back into a human. Just as Luna said, it felt as though her entire body would be carved into dozens of pieces if she lost track of Luna’s movements for even a second.
It wasn't that the Zipples had no information on Luna.
Since she was evaluated as the strongest after Cyron, the Zipples constantly gathered intelligence on her. However, informants who got too close were almost always killed.
Furthermore, every Zipple who had ever fought her directly was dead. Every single one.
This made Luna, in some ways, an even more mysterious figure to the Zipples than Cyron himself. There were endless rumors of her strength, but no one had survived an encounter to testify to it.
She was simply regarded, vaguely, as transcendentally powerful.
Can a human who isn't a contractor truly possess such power? A human who isn't Cyron?
For a moment, Andrei almost fell into the delusion that Luna might be a contractor the Demon God Stone could ‘consume.’
But the stone had shown no reaction. That meant Luna was a perfectly ‘ordinary human.’
When I return, I must completely revise the family’s plans for Runcandel. If we let them grow any stronger, the Zipples might be the ones to fall first.
It was a moment where Andrei couldn't help but worry for his family’s future.
But encountering Luna today is a heaven-sent opportunity. If I don't kill her now, the next chance won't come until the Demon God Stone is complete…!
From the moment the battle began, the information regarding ‘Luna Runcandel’ was being rapidly updated in Andrei’s mind.
She was someone he could never face without the Demon God Stone.
What were the odds of encountering Luna Runcandel on a deserted island like this, with no witnesses, while possessing the Demon God Stone?
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Buretta!”
At Andrei’s urgent shout, Buretta nodded. Having fought together for a long time, they understood each other’s intentions without a word.
Whirrrrr!
Wind began to compress and form in Buretta’s grasp.
An intangible spear made of pure wind.
Then, her neck, which remained stained pitch-black even in human form, began to glisten darkly. She was unleashing the power of the Demon God Stone that had been injected into her during her resurrection.
“I’ll give you my respect. I never thought the day would come when I would use this power against a human.”
“You may have lived a long time, but you clearly haven’t met many humans.”
Luna remained overflowing with composure.
However, she also sensed a change in Buretta’s movements the moment the power in her neck was released.
It’s not magic. It’s a power closer to an Authority. I see why it felt similar to a demon’s energy. And the reason this dragon is going all out is…
She was likely trying to buy time for Andrei to fully draw out the Demon God Stone’s power.
Having reached that conclusion, Luna scoffed.
A washed-up 9-star Great Mage and a Wind Dragon. Do you really think some borrowed power can save you?
The absurdity of it almost left her speechless.
Why on earth had the Runcandels failed to crush the Zipples when pathetic individuals like this were strutting around as Vice Patriarchs?
A thought flickered through Luna’s mind.
There’s no way a man like this is the true second-in-command of the Zipples. The real power must be one of the figures they keep hidden from the public.
Jin, watching the battle from afar, was having similar thoughts.
Something’s off. I knew Sister Luna was incredibly strong, but is that man really a 9-star mage?
It seemed certain that he couldn't cast proper magic because he was channeling all his mana into the Demon God Stone. The mana he’d released at the beginning had been enough to shock even Jin.
But even taking that into account, the way Luna was dominating the fight was beyond his expectations.
Either he’s a fake Andrei, the Zipples have inflated his reputation through information control, or there’s another, true power within their clan. It has to be one of the three.
While the siblings made their judgments, Buretta’s spear swelled to a massive size.
Wind, aura, mana, and the energy of the Demon God Stone. The spear pulsed with four distinct powers intertwined.
“Do you honestly think you can win by hitting me once with that dull, bloated thing, Wind Dragon?”
Just as Luna said, the weapon had swollen so much it could hardly be called a spear anymore.
Buretta ignored the provocation and swung it relentlessly, making Luna feel a sense of pity.
Pity for how a being born a dragon could fall so low.
After dodging the spear twice, Luna stopped moving, as if she had made up her mind.
“Then I’ll show you. I had no intention of dragging this out anyway. I will take you head-on.”
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, the Axe-Sword Krantel erupted with a blinding radiance. Endless streams of aura flowed along the blade.
It felt as vast and boundless as the sun—an aura so overwhelming that it seemed more holy than dangerous.
Runcandel’s 3rd Decisive Technique: Meteor Shower.
The moment Luna raised her axe-sword, the aura blanketing the blade shot into the sky at the speed of light.
And as she swung the sword down…
True to its name, the clouds parted, and a meteor shower of pure aura began to rain down upon the small patch of earth where the arrogant members of the Zipple clan stood.