Capítulo 252: Chapter 411
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The attacker remained silent. It was hard to anticipate his expression hidden behind the mask.
"...I was wondering if you had finally made the right decision and attacked Dante Hairan. You're making things complicated, Jin Runcandel."
The reason the attacker expressed Dante's kidnap as a "right decision" was because it benefited Runcandel.
Hairan was not only a key figure in Vermont, one of the four major factions, but also the second best sword clan after Runcandel.
Therefore, Hairan's downfall would mean a significant blow to Vermont.
Runcandel and Zipfel are clearly at odds among the four major factions.
Vermont and Kinzelo's enmity was not yet clear, but Vermont had maintained significant interactions with Zipfel for a long time and they more likely choose Zipfel as an ally if they had to pick one.
"You're the one making things complicated. I've been trying to make Hairan my ally, and here you are sprinkling ashes on the finished rice."
Swish! A black blade swung down towards the attacker's face. The attacker raised his sword to parry, but he didn't engage in a direct clash of strength; it seemed like pressure of flames was bothering him.
'Judging by his words, it's clear that he is the Black Knight.'
He decided to be certain.
It didn't matter much whether he was the Black Knight or another martial artist. In any case, the attacker was acting in a way that would benefit Runcandel, and it was evident that they possessed the skills of a Black Knight.
"If you understood, then get lost, Joshua's lapdog."
Every time he swung Bradamante, a sharp trajectory was left behind as shadow force and blue flames merged.
Unlike when the attacker initially parried the attack, he didn't directly engage with the sword but effortlessly evaded it.
There really aren't many warriors in the world who can so neatly avoid Jin's planned attack.
However, there were undoubtedly only a few warriors who could continue to evade so "casually."
At first glance, it may have seemed like the attacker was relaxed, but he wasn't. As Jin's attacks continued, the evasion radius was shrinking.
'I understand now.'
Jin smiled inwardly as he observed the attacker's sword.
An ordinary steel sword, that was the reason why the attacker was avoiding taking the attacks with his swords. It wasn't to evade Jin's attacks leisurely and wait for the right moment to strike.
'If he had brought his original sword or a famous blade, it would have been evidence in itself and he couldn't handle it.'
The sword was ordinary by Jin's standards, but if it were to be shown to any blacksmith, it would undoubtedly be considered an excellent sword.
However, this ordinary steel sword was confronting Bradamante.
One of the masterpieces completed by the legendary blacksmith Picon Minche, who became a god.
People often tend to think that famous swords are irrelevant to warriors who have achieved enlightenment, essentially believing that the quality of a weapon doesn't matter to them.
However, that's merely a misguided notion held by those who haven't actually wielded a sword. When two warriors with exactly the same strength battle, the one with the better weapon naturally has the upper hand.
That's why Chiron used Barisada, known as the peerless sword, Ron wielded Rashid, and Talaris used Myriad Ice. All the other warriors were the same.
Even a well-crafted ordinary steel sword, no matter how well-made it is, can break when its user possesses transcendent strength.
'The durability of the sword has already reached the bottom due to deflecting my sword and Dante's techniques, as well as dealing with the knights of Hairan.'
If you continue the fight in such a situation and your weapon breaks...
No matter how skilled a Black Knight might be, they couldn't face Jin with their bare hands. Fortunately for Jin, but a sad situation for Dante.
Thanks to the earlier Overlord Sword, Sun, the swords of the fallen knights lined up on the floor were all damaged.
Even if the sword were to break now, the attacker wouldn't be able to obtain another weapon.
Smirk.
Jin smiled.
"What should I do if you're so openly concerned about your weapon, Black Knight?"
Jin increased the speed of attacks.
Once again, Jin unfurled the curtains of shadow force, and he relentlessly fired sword energy in the midst of them. The pressure of flames in his sword energy pressed down on the attacker heavily.
The attacker couldn't just keep avoiding forever and finally parried some of the sword energy.
The attacker had to block the attack, but he couldn't fully exert his strength. On the other hand, Jin effortlessly continued to release sword energy.
'The only weapon he could take is Dante's sword.'
Jin positioned himself while thinking about the fallen Dante. If the Black Knight happened to obtain Dante's sword, the situation would turn around.
"Did you bring any spare weapons just in case?"
Boom!
A deafening metallic ringing ensued when the attacker suddenly closed the distance and parried Jin's strike.
Amidst that ringing, Jin could feel the unique vibration traveling through the metal. It was a fact that could not be hidden even though it was shrouded in aura.
"Oh, did you originally plan to use the swords of other knights as backups?"
The blade of the Shadow Sword scissors extended behind the attacker. He managed to dodge it by bending his body, but he couldn't completely evade the vertical slash that followed right away.
The drops of blood splattered.
Bradamante's blade barely grazed his shoulder and was unable to cause a deep wound but successfully delivered a hit.
"Go back. Your mission has failed."
"I can't quite grasp it."
The attacker shrugged his shoulders.
"Do you truly believe Dante Hairan would stand with Runcandel just because you have a friendship with him?"
"Is there any reason he shouldn't?"
"I didn't know you had such a naive side."
"That naivety will result in a alliance between Hairan and my Runcandel. Your master or the current rotten Runcandel couldn't attain such results."
"It seems like talking won't get us anywhere."
"We don't need to understand each other."
Crash! Clang!
This time, the noise came not from Jin and the attacker's clash but from outside. The battle between Ron and Berakt was intensifying. Despite being so far away, the powerful aura emitted by both of them was palpable, and the entire castle was filled with an ominous vibration.
"Finish what you were doing."
Shadow Sword 1st technique, Soul Slash.
A long sword blade advanced silently like a shadow, and the elongated blade scraped against the attacker's face. This shadow sword is Jin's will itself, a manifestation of his will to cut through anything.
Eventually, the attacker's sword clattered to the ground.
However, the attacker didn't seem surprised or flustered, as if he had anticipated this.
Something sharp suddenly emerged from his sleeve.
Claw!?'
It was a weapon that not many people used. It symbolized the McRolan clan, Gilly's original clan.
Was the attacker a Black Knight from McRolan?
Such questions crossed Jin's mind in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the attacker was approaching Jin like an arrow.
'Was claws his true weapon...?'
Jin had considered it fortunate that the attacker was wielding a seemingly ordinary sword. However, it turned out that claws were the attacker's real weapon. It was undoubtedly a weapon crafted from ancient everlasting steel, and Jin could no longer have the upper hand in case of weapons.
"You have a knack for surprising people."
Kagak, chiing!
Claws and Jin's blade collided, producing an unpleasant friction. The attacker, who had brought out a new weapon, was displaying entirely different movements from before.
'Strangely, he didn't seem so formidable compared to the intense danger I felt when I first saw him. I think it was just because of his weapon.'
Three streams of sword energy were unleashed every time claws moved. Dozens of attacks were launched in a matter of seconds and made it difficult for Jin to keep up.
If he hadn't activated his shadow force armor, he would have already suffered minor wounds all over his body.
"Weren't you supposed to conceal your identity? Using such a distinctive weapon..."
"There is no need to worry as long as there are no witnesses left."
"But I am the only witness here."
"Exactly, that means I am going to get rid of you."
"Such a bloody joke isn't very funny. Killing me right now would be a significant loss for Runcandel, wouldn't it?"
The attacker didn't respond and extended claws.
Jin had only a few experiences facing someone who wielded claws. In fact, he had sparred a few times with Gilly after becoming a flagbearer and Gilly's seal was released.
-I'm clearly much stronger than you, Gilly, but it feels quite challenging.
-Claws are different from a regular sword, young master. There's no reason to be afraid when it's used by amateurs, but when it's in the hands of a skilled user... the sword rarely moves according to your will during battle.
A conversation he had with Gilly during their light sparring sessions.
As she advised, controlling the sword exactly as he wanted was not easy. The sword was restricted in movement within claws' space.
Jin held the sword with left hand and used his right hand to launch attacks at close range. Despite activating Multa's Rune, he felt a chilling sensation whenever claws grazed his face.
'It is no joke.'
Jin attempted counterattacks during the few opportunities he had while retreating, but he couldn't push back the attacker's momentum.
'Using the flame of hell or Plutonian Reign sword would be too dangerous with Dante around.'
First, he needed to create some distance.
His Shadow Force Armor was providing protection, but if the close range battle dragged on, he would inevitably suffer a fatal injury. However, the attacker clung to Jin tenaciously even as he tried to gain distance.
He unleashed Soul Slashes in succession, but the attacker's claws didn't break like the steel sword. However, it didn't mean that there was no impact at all. The relentless attacks from claws suddenly slowed down.
This gave Jin the opportunity to create a distance of about ten steps, and he planned to maintain that distance while continuing the fight.
There was very little Jin could do in close combat unless he possessed far superior swordsmanship compared to the attacker.
Whish!
At that moment, the attacker turned around and changed targets.
'Dante!'
From the beginning, the attacker's main target had been Dante. He had intentionally lured Jin away to create an opening to capture Dante before proceeding with his original plan.
Both Jin and the attacker rushed toward Dante simultaneously.
Due to the ten-step difference, the attacker reached Dante first.
The attacker's gleaming claws were aimed at Dante's exposed neck as if he could kill him without taking him hostage.
In an instant, as claws were about to pierce Dante's throat, Jin threw Bradamante to block the claws' path and drew Sigmund at the same time.
However, Jin's posture was unavoidably disrupted as he forcefully threw his sword. Meanwhile, the attacker was redirecting claws towards Jin once again.
Clang!
Claws pierced Jin's shadow force armor and Jin coughed up a bit of blood.
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