Chapter 127: Volume 6 Chapter 126 – Beris and Kuzan (1)
Two mana beams pierced through the horses, immediately killing them. However, thanks to Jin's warning, the riders landed safely on the ground.
"Urgh—What in the world was that?!"
"It's them."
Jin took a defensive stance, expecting a second attack. However, it didn't come immediately. Instead, two shadows slowly emerged from the thick grass.
A man and woman. Very young adults; probably not even over 30 yet.
Dan's expression turned dark after seeing their profile.
"Y-You guys are…"
"Oh, Old Man Dan. What's this, what's this! How'd you know we'd come for you? You even got some guards. You're pretty quick-witted!"
The woman opened her mouth first. She had a well-structured face and was taller than the man next to her. Her expression showed how she thought the situation was funny, which didn't fit the current mood.
Additionally, she thought that Jin and Jet were Dan's bodyguards.
"Beris…!"
The woman smirked at Dan calling her name.
In her hand, concentrated mana turned into a sphere of wind. She was the magician who had been killing the Lunar Sacrifice survivors.
'She doesn't even seem to be 30, yet she's an 8-star magician? And she isn't even a Zipfel.'
He was shocked at the young age. She was that much of a talented genius, and Jin didn't even know her?
"How do you think Dan found out that we're killing out the brethren? First let's make some ground beef out of Old Man Dan, then we can question those two."
"That dumbass couldn't have known. Those guys probably did some investigation on us and realized that we're on a hunt. Beris, be prepared. That hooded guy isn't just any guy."
"Eyyy, what do you mean 'be prepared'? That's too harsh! You think it's easy to find an opponent that requires our full focus? Kuzan, your cautiousness is too much. Probably explains your lack of popularity."
Beris and Kuzan Marius.
The youngest and strongest hunting dogs of Lunar Sacrifice.
Jet anxiously stared at the two while Dan hugged his daughter with quaking hands.
"You said they're Beris and Kuzan. I was curious about which bastards were messing with my business. Nice to meet you."
Jin covered Bradamante with aura, and Kuzan pulled out a sword in return. Unlike Beris, Kuzan had a straight, dull face—a show of prudence.
"Hehe, I'm also curious as to who you are and what you do, so I'm glad that I'll find out soon. But first, we gotta finish our business. Old Man Dan, come out now. Then we'll spare your daughter… maybe?"
Beris threw the wind sphere in front of her and laughed.
'It's the 4-star wind spell, Wind Blade.'
It was enough to take Dan's life, but an 8-star magician would normally still use a higher-ranked spell. As a magician, Jin knew why Beris was using such a low-ranked spell.
'Since she used Hellwind to kill the survivors in the morning, she's saving her mana. Even if she thinks I'm a bodyguard, I'm certain she's playing conservative from that move.'
Beris using Hellwind to kill the survivors was probably because of her particularly cruel and ruthless personality. She enjoyed massacres.
An 8-star magician with sufficient mana would be difficult to fight.
However, an 8-star magician lacking mana or on the verge of mana overflow wouldn't be too hard. As long as they weren't a particularly talented 8-star.
'The problem is that guy. I'm sure he killed the survivors with the use of poisons, but a sword…'
Kuzan's sword was a very universal long sword. People who trained the arts of assassination usually didn't use such a bulky sword.
'Is poisoning just one of his gimmicks? And his main weapon is the sword?'
In the worst scenario, he would be talented in the arts of poison and the sword. And of course, Jin had to fight while considering the worst scenario.
Was it possible for him to fight and win against these guys?
7-star magic, 6-star swordsmanship, and 5-star spiritual energy. If the opponents lost focus and Jin fought them well, it was possible.
'But if Kuzan is also an 8-star, it's impossible. Unlike Beris, he didn't waste a single bit of aura. As always, I have to whip up a gimmick.'
Concluding his thoughts, Jin tried to talk.
However—
"Man~ I'm getting pissed. I told you to get your ass out here, you roach-like old man."
Shraaaaaa!
From Beris's palm, wind blades flew straight towards the three. Jin created a force field with his aura, and Beris immediately began to cast her next spell.
"Jet."
"Yes, sir!"
"Take Dan and run."
"Yes… yes? What?! No way, sir! Eeeek!"
Jin swung his sword to deflect the wind blades. Kuzan bolted towards him and aimed for his shoulder.
'Shoulder. These guys want to keep me alive since they have a lot to ask.'
Ka-clang!
Despite not using his full force, the impact from Kuzan's swing was immense. Even without comparing it to any sort of measurement, Jin confirmed that he was an 8-star. The worst case scenario came true.
Still, thanks to Jin's blessed Runcandel body, he could deflect the attack with one hand.
"I think that you're more important than Dan, so isn't it better for you to run away instead of him? On top of that, you're only using one hand. I feel like I'm being looked down on."
"Don't know. My life is pretty important, but I don't want to let the child see her father die. I'm weak in the heart."
Clang! Sssk-clang!
Jin's and Kuzan's blades clashed, sparks flying everywhere. Jet didn't do anything and just stomped on the floor.
"Oh, Young Master!"
"Just run! With your skill, you're practically useless. Fighting alone would be better. Either I kill these guys or at least you guys can live."
"I'd rather die with you."
"Don't tell me that heartless shit, and just fuck off. It's an order."
"Oh, Young Master, I wish you the best of luck!"
Sniffling and holding back his tears, Jet took the child in Dan's arms and began to sprint away. Dan followed him. Beris burst into laughter after seeing them flee.
"Oh my goodness~! I can't watch because of these tears~ Hehe. Honey, do they really think they can run away? Kuzan! Play with the cutie for a while. I'll go deal with them."
Kuzan lightly nodded.
Jin's eyes widened as more blades flew towards him. He then activated a spell with his other hand.
The spell that never disappointed him every time he was in grave danger.
Photon Cannon.
Fwooooosh!
A blinding light brightened their surroundings. Taking the light full face, Kuzan stumbled backwards.
"Urgh!"
Even an 8-star knight would lose their balance due to the bright light. Beris—who was quite far from Jin—flinched and covered her eyes.
Before one second even passed, Jin charged towards Kuzan's torso, eyeing the man's neck. He felt like he could end the battle with one swing.
Shhhk!
Bradamante's crescent slash followed by a short echo. Jin felt the tip of the sword cut something.
"Kurgh!"
However, the level of an 8-star should not be underestimated.
'He was able to react to that?'
Drip, drip.
Blood was dripping from the tip of Jin's sword as he backed off, wary of a counterattack.
At that moment, Kuzan recovered his vision and repositioned himself.
"Tch."
Jin slashed Kuzan's chest instead of his throat. However, seeing that the bloodstain in the other's coat rapidly grew, Jin knew that—thankfully—the wound was not shallow.
"Kyaaa! Kuzan!"
For the first time, Beris's liveliness was gone. With a startled, pale face, she ran over and tended to Kuzan. She glared at Jin.
"I will thoroughly rip you apart. Piece by piece. How dare you do this to him!"
Krrrrrrrrrr!
Mana began to flood around her. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she screamed. She was going all out against Jin.
However, the young Runcandel was smiling internally.
'I'm sure she's in a position where she's out of mana. Keep gathering a lot of it. If I just block a few times, you'll self-destruct from mana overflow…'
Grip…!
As Beris tried to charge at Jin, Kuzan grabbed her shoulder and shook his head.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Beris. He's a magic swordsman. He knows the weakness of magicians. On top of that, he just used light magic. We must take it slow."
"But he—!"
"You know this wound isn't really anything. We'll chase Dan later. We need to deal with this kid before they get far."
"'Isn't really anything'? Your life just got shorter!"
Kuzan was the problem.
'He's strong, not arrogant, and prudent. After seeing Photon Cannon, he knew I was a magic swordsman instead of mistaking it for an effect of an artifact. He's a tough one.'
A chill ran up Jin's spine.
Two 8-stars, and they weren't making any mistakes. If they were careful of Jin's gimmicks, then his probability of winning would plummet.
Although Kuzan took some damage, he pulled out a glass bottle and drank its contents. Almost immediately, his bleeding slowed down.
What he drank was poison.
However, to a person with a great resistance to poison, it was nothing more than a divine potion.
'Is he like Elder Sister Yona? That guy… He's a handful.'
Yona Runcandel. Having her as a sister, Jin knew what was going on.
—If you meet an enemy like your sister Yona, remember this: you must finish them in one strike. Or else, they'll heal themselves like they're some immortal being. They use their lifespan to heal themselves at that moment, but it's a pain in the ass to deal with.
—Conversely, you can't allow any small injuries or wounds. When they go all out, they have a bit of lethal poison on their weapons. Even with your resistance to poisons, it's still pretty fatal.
He remembered his conversation with Luna during one of their training sessions.
And as she said, Kuzan stood up after finishing his recovery. His sword glowed with a light green sheen. Poison and aura mixed on Kuzan's blade, emitting an eerie green color.
"No time to capture him alive, Beris. Watch my back."
"Alright. Instead, don't go too hard. I don't want you to get hurt from that kid that I want to rip apart."
"I'll do what I can."
Dash!
Kuzan's speed was fast; the glow of his eye left an afterimage. Jin also pushed his feet off the ground with his sword extended.
CLANG!
The two swords clashed, and a loud sound of collision reverberated through the air. They only clashed their blades once, but it was enough to feel the power of a 'real' 8-star knight.
"Die!"
Furthermore, Beris was reinforcing Kuzan with magic from behind.
Jin was backed into a corner. He thought of when to reveal his remaining cards.
Tess, Myulta's Rune, and Blade: Unleash.
Those were all he could do to turn the tide.
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