章節 140: Chapter 299
"I didn't expect to meet my end at the hands of the flagbearers, rather than Sir Chiron. That would be my only regret."
Barton examined Diphus's sword as he spoke.
The aura crystals embedded in the greatsword, Volgar. The crystals looked as solid as actual ore, not like an aura.
Crash! Khdududuk-!
The battle resumed when Barton launched the first attack.
He had already expended too much power and couldn't fully use his original strength.
But despite his aura and stamina approaching its limit, the relentless attacks of the 10-star knight were shaking the ground.
His every step cracked the ground, and rocks were sent flying.
Although his shield was only at the 8-star level, the aura it carried was causing shockwaves.
Jin poured all of his energy into his last counterattack, the sunset glow.
There was still madness in Barton's eyes.
It arose from self-pity and futility of having lost all honor of the Black Helmet when his espionage was discovered, and the shame of dying by the swords of flagbearers rather than Chiron Runcandel.
And things he held in his heart before meeting Kelliark Zipfel and betraying Runcandel, such as the sense of pride as a Black Knight, which clash within him.
Barton undoubtedly had a firm belief in Zipfel.
He believed that he could overcome the limitations of being just "human," and truly achieve transcendence on Zipfel's side.
However, Barton Vicenna was still undeniably a human.
He was still human despite obtaining power that was close to his limits by discarding pride and fear of betrayal long ago, and hiding his emotions behind the black helmet.
"Are you ashamed, Barton Vicenna? It seems you're jumping around quite a bit. Do you think you still have enough honor left to die at the hands of my father?"
Jin saw through Barton's confusion.
Instead of answering, his blade flew toward Jin's throat. The blade appeared blurry, which meant that it had already passed by once.
Jin instinctively stepped back and narrowly avoided the attack. Jin almost reached out his hand to his neck in the confusion.
Talent or achievement.
If Jin had lacked either of them, he would have raised his hand and touched his neck. To check whether his neck was slit or he narrowly avoided it, and in that gap, he would have allowed his opponent to deliver a fatal blow.
But Jin chose to counterattack instead.
Barton's attack barely grazed Jin's chest, just as Sigmund barely grazed Barton's cheek.
Another sharper light flashed between them before the two swords could cross each other.
It was the greatsword Volgar, which was falling at incredible speed.
The three swords formed a whirlwind. They clashed and created dozens of sonic booms in a second.
The Guardian Knights, who were keeping their distance while brandishing their swords, swallowed nervously.
Each of them were at least 8-star knights, but they couldn't casually intervene in the battle. It wasn't because their swordsmanship was lacking.
Their bodies couldn't withstand it. Either Runcandel's blessed body, or a hardened body trained to its extreme limits.Without such elements, they couldn't dare to intervene in the battle.
The shockwaves made it feel like thousands of spears were raining down.
Psss, swish. Every undetectable small noise left a scar on the bodies of three.
Kaaaah!
Diphus shouted and stepped forward.
At that moment, the aura crystals embedded in the greatsword Volgar shone brighter, and Barton continued to maintain a distance as if he had been conscious of it from the beginning.
It was time for the aura he saved against Kozec to shine.
Diphus had executed Runcandel's 6th decisive killing move: Lightning flash.
The aura crystals embedded in Volgar shattered.
The crystals shattered like glass shards, and aura flowed between hundreds of such pieces.
Kijik!
A powerful sound like a lightning was echoed, and the blinding light rapidly flashes and dissipates.
The trajectory of the greatsword changed with each flash of light.
Due to the irregular shape of the aura, the length of the sword's blade sometimes changed, and the broken crystals danced with the greatsword.
"Ugh!"
Barton rotated his body and deflected the greatsword. It seemed as if he had deflected it completely, but his armor tore, and fresh blood spurted out.
He was struck by the aura forming a cluster attached to the greatsword.
He only suffered this level of damage because he had been aware of it since the moment the crystals were embedded in the greatsword.
Even someone like Barton would have had a hard time avoiding severe injury without knowing the Lightning flash.
The cluster of aura attached to the greatsword Volgar almost looks like lightning energy.
Of course, it wasn't real lightning energy. Anyone familiar with Plutonian swordsmanship could tell this at first glance.
That was because the Runcandel's 6th decisive killing move, Lightning flash, was a technique modeled after Plutonian swordsmanship.
It was coincidental because Lightning flash was a move derived from the very technique that Jin was about to execute: "Plutonian Swordsmanship, Mystic Technique: Thunder Blade"
Fzzzt!
Sigmund took in the lightning energy of illuminating heart.
The same type of crystals that had been embedded in the greatsword Volgar now filled the surface of the pale blade.
'Is that the lightning energy that the youngest is said to wield? Why does it have a shape similar to lightning flash?'
'I heard that all the elder council members, except for Zed, refused to hand down the decisive killing moves to him. How on earth did he learn Lightning flash?'
Both Diphus and Barton had similar thoughts. They were both taken aback when Jin used the unexpected move.
However, despite the superficial resemblance, they were entirely different.
Lightning flash simply increased the range of the greatsword's attacks, altered its trajectory, and expanded its targeting area, while Thunder Blade created dozens of "blades" out of flowing lightning energy.
Sssh, ziiiik!
The blue blades filled the air and aimed at Barton.
The blades flashed and made it challenging to anticipate their movements.
"Kaaaah!"
Barton swung his long sword desperately.
His cape was already tattered, and his damaged armor no longer served its purpose.
He had to fend off both Thunder Blade and Lightning flash simultaneously.
He looked like a white orb as his long sword moved at a blinding speed to parry attacks from all directions.
Jin and Diphus were relentlessly launching their attacks.
At first glance, Barton seemed purely on the defensive, but a counterattack would swiftly follow if he found an opening.
Blood continued to pour into the air.
It was difficult to ascertain whose blood it was, and the scattered blood vanished within seconds.
A single finger poked out amid the distorted space caused by the shockwaves.
It was Barton's index finger.
However, Barton's momentum showed no signs of weakening. Instead, his attacks became even more fierce and swift. Jin and Diphus were forced to take a step back.
What a waste, Diphus thought to himself. The fact that a formidable knight like Barton had betrayed Runcandel left him shaken.
He was also curious about what Zipfel had promised to make Barton betray Runcandel?
At first, he only wanted to kill him, but as they exchanged blows, strange thoughts kept creeping into his mind.
On the other hand, Jin neither thought it was a waste nor felt curious.
He could understand weak people but could not tolerate hideous character.
It does not matter whether he was a 20-star knight or even stronger than that, individuals like Barton were not needed in Runcandel.
Swish!
Diphus's greatsword cleaved through Barton's chest. The deep garsh broke the ribs and pierced his organs, and despite vomiting blood, Barton did not show any sign of pain.
His movements remained unchanged. There was no way an ordinary human could continue fighting with such severe injuries, but Jin and Diphus had reached a conclusion.It was time to end his life.
'It's time to finish this,' Diphus thought.
As Jin stepped back, Diphus also created some distance.
For a moment, the battle paused.
The fierce resistance they had just faced felt like a lie. Barton stood there like a statue, unmoving.
In fact, Barton had lost his vision for some time ago. The bleeding had completely blocked his vision, but he continued to fend off their attacks.
Sigmund released its lightning energy once again.
This time, the Thunder Blades suspended in the air converged toward Jin. Dozens of these thunder blades floated behind Jin and aimed toward Barton.
Diphus's Lightning flash followed the same process. Around a hundred blades and clusters of energy aimed at Barton from both sides.
Barton's ragged breathing became audible amidst the crackling noises.
"Barton Vicenna."
Barton couldn't respond. Blood flowed back into his throat and he made only faint gasping sounds.
Even though he was blind and his feet had stiffened, Barton still had a radius of about 20 meters as his attack range. In other words, if you stayed beyond 20 meters, you would never be attacked by him.
"Zipfel probably promised you something like immortality, ultimate power, or something similar. And you must have seen undeniable evidence of it, enough to stake everything on it."
The energies of Thunder Blade and Lightning flash were growing brighter by the moment and no longer flickering but blazing steadily.
"Maybe it's a Demon God's Orb. I've seen it myself, the strange power allows it to resurrect the dead and gain incredible strength. It was a mysterious power that could tempt anyone."
Diphus's brow twitched at those words. He had never heard of the term Demon God's Orb before. It was something he hadn't seen even in confidential documents restricted to the 4th flagbearer or higher.
"But Barton, do you know what? I've also seen the Demon God's Orb being shattered by Runcandel's sword."
Barton lifted his head.
It was impossible. Mere humans cannot shatter it.
He wanted to say that, but all that came out was the black blood.
What Barton had experienced and what Jin had seen were different Demon God's Orb, so he might believe that it was impossible to destroy it.
"Even my father knew about the existence of that object. So don't dream of anything. The death you face today is final. Resurrection, immortality, such vain things won't happen."
Just before thrusting Sigmund, Jin paused as if he had remembered something.
"Oh, and by the way, Hell is a real place. The brief glimpse I had of it made it seem like a very fitting place for you, so I hope you will have a great time there."
Shwiik!
As Sigmund cleaved through the air, the Thunder Blades surged forward.
Diphus's Lightning flash also charged toward Barton while leaving afterimages behind.
A short but intense final resistance had begun.
In just one second, more than a hundred blades and clusters rained down. Barton managed to fend off nearly half of them with incredible strength, but he couldn't prevent the rest.
There was no scream. The dry sounds of flesh, organs, and bones being shredded echoed among the flagbearers and guardian knights.
Eventually, Barton's body was completely disintegrated, and Jin slowly walked back to the spot where Barton had been standing.
His body and armor had been destroyed. However, strangely the symbol of the Black Knight, the black helmet, was left intact on the ground.
Jin picked up the helmet and looked back at the knights.
"Mission accomplished. Everyone, return to the clan."
"Yes, sir!"
The knights saluted. Diphus wasn't pleased that the guardian knights were saluting the 12th flagbearer rather than him, but he didn't reprimand them.
He acknowledged that this mission couldn't have succeeded without Jin.
章節 141: Chapter 300
On March 10, 1799, Rosa assembled a meeting of the flagbearers.
Barton's empty helmet lay on the long table.
All the flagbearers, except for Jin, gazed at the helmet in shock, but none of them showed their emotions outwardly.
The flagbearers already knew that the key figure in this mission was not Diphus but Jin.
Diphus had informed Mary that this mission could never have succeeded without Jin. Mary spread this information among the flagbearers as if it were her own business.
Shuffle, shuffle...
The sound of Rosa inspecting the mission report echoed in the silence of the meeting room.She calmly finished reading the report and spoke.
"It seems you've forgotten the mission details."
"Is there anything we missed out on?"
Some of his siblings flinched at Jin's casual question. It was Ran, Vigo, Myu, Anne, and Tona brothers. They had only heard that Jin and Diphus had successfully completed the mission.
"I commend you for securing Ventica and assassinating Barton Vicenna. However, what the clan demanded of you was a natural death."
What the clan demanded of you.
Rosa emphasized those words.
"If our goal was to simply assassinate Barton Vicenna, there was no need to assign it to you, flagbearers. The Black Sword Association and I could have handled it ourselves."
"Mother."
"Speak, 12th flagbearer."
"It was impossible to have Barton Vicenna killed by the hands of the enemy in this mission. Because of the variable known as Kelliark's power, we needed more personnel to carry out the mission according to plan."
"If that's what you thought, then you should have retreated when Barton Vicenna insisted, and you could have waited for the next opportunity. Of course, at that time, this mission would have been handed to other flagbearers, not you."
Jin didn't hesitate to throw Diphus under the carriage. "It was due to the strong determination of the 4th flagbearer, the decision-maker for the mission."
"Fourth flagbearer. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you retreat?"
"I judged that there is no other flagbearer who can perform this mission better than me and the 12th flagbearer at the moment when 1st flagbearer is absent."
"That's your opinion, Diphus."
"We actually brought results. Although we couldn't stage a natural death, we accomplished both tasks without any casualties."
"Do you not know why the clan wanted to kill Barton Vicenna in such a complicated manner? It's to make sure his betrayal doesn't become known to others. Don't all the mages from Zipfel already know that he survived? Once his death is known outside, Runcandel will be seen as purging the Black Knight."
Death in action versus purge.
Unlike other knights, the Black Knight had to go down through the former. Revealing that the Black Knight was being punished meant there were problems with loyalty and unity.
The fact that the Black Knight was purged would have had a huge impact in itself. That was the symbol of the Black Knight within Runcandel and Huphester.
Of course, even with the former, there would be inevitable consequences for Runcandel's presitige.
However, the forces assigned to the "Securing Ventica Mission" were much stronger on Zipfel's side.
It was quite possible for the Black Knight to die facing Kozec and White Night.
If the mission had gone as planned, they could have declared that the Black Knight sacrificed himself 'to save the flagbearers.'
"As you all know, it's a sensitive time. With the patriarch and the 1st flagbearer absent, Zipfel is expanding its influence day by day. In this situation, if it becomes known that the Black Knight has been purged, how do you think our allies will view us?"
Myu and Anne were amused by their audacious thoughts and barely held back their laughter.
'That's right. No matter how great Diphus and the youngest are, they're still human. They got too carried away and ended up in a bad situation. Once Joshua Orabeoni takes control, he'll probably get rid of them first.'
'I heard the elder council denied him the decisive killing moves too. Way to go. With this incident, the elder council might hate him even further.'
Ran and Vigo, on the other hand, simply admired Jin and Diphus for actually killing Barton Vicenna but didn't think any further.
The Tona brothers were as worried as usual but managed to hide their emotions.
Rosa clearly saw the thoughts of those six. And suppressed her frustration and disappointment.
"... If the 4th and 12th flagbearers don't have any countermeasures for this, I will consider this mission a failure."
"Mother, you could announce that Barton Vicenna died in battle without any problem. You know that, don't you?"
The six of them opened their eyes wider in surprise at Jin's words. Those six were the ones who had just disappointed Rosa.
On the other hand, Rosa, Joshua, Luntia, Diphus, and Mary had calm expressions, as if they had expected it to turn out this way.
"Zipfel nearly got their Kozec destroyed, lost more than thirty elite mages and Six Red Dragons and Veradin suffering severe injuries despite using Kelliark's power. Yet, they couldn't even secure Ventica."
Used Kelliark's power.
At that moment, the six flagbearers turned their attention back to Jin once again. This was not in the report they were handed out.
However, no one objected and asked what he was talking about.
"It doesn't make sense that Runcandel didn't suffer any damage during that process. Once it's revealed that I was the one who destroyed Kozec, it won't just end up as losing their reputation."
"Wait a minute, the youngest. Are you saying it was you who destroyed Kozec, not elder brother Diphus?"
Jin ignored Vigo's question and continued talking.
"If we release a false statement that the Black Knight died in battle, Zipfel will welcome it with open arms because both of us would gain something. Obviously, we didn't take any real damage, and we've secured Ventica, so we gain vastly more than them."
"Are you not considering the possibility of Zipfel exposing the fact that the Black Knight was indeed a spy?"
"Yes, and there's no need to consider that possibility. If Zipfel reveals that Barton was a traitor, then it means they completely lost the battle, even with Kozec and the Black Knight on their side. I'll take full responsibility if Zipfel reveals the whole truth."
Silence hung in the room for a while.
Unlike Ran, Vigo, Mu, Ann, and the Tona brothers, the others were aware that the conversation so far had been Rosa's "test."
What Rosa had said to Jin was not merely meant to corner him. This mission was genuinely significant for the clan, and Rosa wanted to see how Jin, as a flagbearer, would handle it.
She also wanted to set an example for the flagbearers who didn't take the hint, that this is how the Runcandel flagbearer should be.
If Jin had come up with an answer like "I couldn't help it," Rosa would have immediately punished him for the mission's failure.
However, as always, Jin brought satisfactory results. Despite the serious variable of the spatial explosion, he achieved near-perfect results in the mission.
That's why she thought it was such a waste.
'It's truly lamentable that I will have to bring this child down someday. But until that day comes, there's a lot you have to do for the clan.' Rosa thought.
'Feel free to use me as much as you like. In the end, it will tighten the noose around your neck and Joshua's.'
Jin and Rosa each thought such things as they met others' gaze.
Knock, knock, knock!
Someone knocked on the meeting room door.
"Madame Rosa, it's Heinz."
"Come in."
Head butler Heinz bowed his head and entered the room with a bundle of news reports.
They were newspapers from the Lutero Magic Federation.
"Zipfel has released an article about the Ventica mission. They are trying to make the impression that they killed the Black Knight, despite their loss in battle."
"Kelliark Zipfel got it first. A cunning man, indeed. He must have realized that Barton was found out after hearing about the mission report."
This time, even the high-ranked flagbearers were visibly surprised. Of course, as usual, Luntia stifled a yawn.
"Was there any other special information?"
"None. Shall I prepare the response article?"
"Yes, do so. Glorify the death of Barton, but do not reveal his real name. Also, destroy all records and documents related to Barton."
"I will do as you command, madam."
As of today, Huphester would be flooded with articles praising Barton, but his black helmet and remains would not be enshrined in the mausoleum.
After Heinz left, Rosa focused her gaze on Jin once again.
"It went as you said, 12th flagbearer. I must reward you. Do you have any specific requests?"
"Once the ancient everlasting steel mining is complete, please allocate 10% to me. And I'd like to take about ten days of leave."
"I shall grant it."
Surprisingly, Rosa readily accepted Jin's request.
For now, she decided to focus on using Jin rather than restraining him. Just like how Runcandel and Zipfel looked out for each other, Rosa and Jin were no different.
Above all, Rosa believed that everything Jin gained would ultimately belong to Joshua as time passed.
So, providing support above a certain level was not bad for her. In fact, she needed to provide him with wings at times.
"That's it for the flagbearers' meeting. I will assign the mission to 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th flagbearers in the evening, so send your butlers to my office later."
"Understood."
Immediately after leaving the meeting room, Jin walked straight to his room without engaging in conversation with anyone.
Instead, when he passed by the Tona brothers, he remembered their promise.
"Let's have a drink tonight."
"Y-Yes! I'll prepare something good!"
While the other flagbearers scoffed at the Tona brothers, both Diphus and Mary felt a strong sense of envy.
Mary only wanted to get closer to Jin, but Diphus had different intentions.
'The swordsmanship that the youngest showed, it was undoubtedly... similar to the 6th Decisive killing move, Lightning flash. Moreover, the Demon God' Orb? There are too many things I didn't know about the youngest. Even his magical prowess far exceeded my expectations.'
Mary glanced at Diphus's neck and blinked in surprise.
"Oh, Diphus Orabeoni? Are you cold? You've got goosebumps on your neck. It's quite disgusting. We should warm ourselves up with some hot drinks too."
Upon returning to their room, Gilly greeted Jin.
And the Black Dragon, Murakan, who was over 3,000 years old, only gave a short glance with a sullen face when he arrived.
"You've worked hard, young master."
"Thanks, but Murakan, what's wrong with you again?"
"Oh, well..."
Gilly gave an awkward smile and looked embarrassed.
The reason why Murakan had such a sulking look was simple.
Gilly had insisted on going on this vacation "all together."
In other words, Murakan had a hard time accepting that the date he had so longed for had gone down the drain.
"I heard the Contractor of Olmango is in the Schutzeron Kingdom. I've always wanted to visit the beaches over there at least once, and I thought it would be great to take a vacation together with Tikan's comrades. If you're okay with it, young master, wouldn't it be nice if you could come along…."
Jin burst into laughter as he watched Murakan frown once again.
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