章節 179: Chapter 338

[T/L: punisher87]

[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]

Bang, Kwang! Skung-!

Every time Berakt swung his sword, the cave ceiling was cut like a piece of paper, revealing the sky above.

The Spectres solely focused on defense as soon as he began his attack.

Amidst the ear-splitting noise of crashes and roars, Margiella looked at Jin with a smiling face.

"Surely, you won't pretend not to remember like you last time in the Holy Kingdom? I believe you're not so shameful to do that again."

Even though Jin received help, there won't be any moment after today when Jin would be happy to see the crazy group, Kinzelo.

It was because Jin saw them fundamentally as madmen conducting living golem experiments and their purpose is to become sole ruler of the world like Zipfel.

Of course, Jin also intended to ascend to the throne of Runcandel, and become the ruler of the world but at least he did not use humans as mere experimental materials like them.

Above all, Kinzelo was ultimately a competitor and an enemy.

"Debt? Since this is your territory, you should have appeared anyway, right?"

"Oh, my, what a bitter thing to say. We came to rescue you. It's unfortunate that the cute beastmen died, but if you weren't in danger, we would have left them alone. This place isn't even that important."

"How did you know I was in danger?"

"That's a trade secret!"

Given the abilities the leader possessed, it didn't feel particularly surprising even if Kinzelo was monitoring the entire territory through a crystal ball.

"Anyway, I have no intention of harboring feelings like being in debt, so spare me your nonsense. If you came just to rescue me, then it's advantageous for you, a result of your choice."

"Hmph, you made a valid point. Can't you at least make your words sound prettier? If you stumble, it is possible that mister Berakt might even devour you, Sir Jin."

Kraaak! Aaah, cough-!

The Spectres' screams continued. It seemed they hadn't suffered fatal injuries yet, but Berakt was completely overwhelming them.

Jin let out a laugh.

"I guess I should retreat. And I can not say about Kinzelo, but I will just let Ivelianos go with a small mistake or two against Runcandel."

"Hey, are you planning to go after the escaped small beastmen?"

Joe interjected, stroking his thin beard.

"What will you do about it?"

"I recommend leaving if possible. We have no intention of sending people over there. It means don't waste the life we worked hard to save recklessly."

"But Sir Jin, it wasn't Mr. Joe who saved you, it was mister Berakt, right?"

"Mar... I mean, Moruriella, if you say it like that, won't I be embarrassed?"

"Haha, if mister Berakt had heard what you just said, he would have gone on a rampage again. I'm worried he might really kill Mr. Joe someday."

Joe scratched his head due to embarrassment.

Among the Kinzelo executives, Cold Joe, infamous 9-star mage, was almost treated as a joke.

Jin didn't respond to Joe's words and exchanged a glance with Margiella for a moment.

'This woman, even during the Holy Kingdom incident, who exactly is she? There isn't much known about her in the public eye, but does she possess some special ability? Seems like she holds a significant position within Kinzelo.'

It probably wasn't just because she is the cherished younger sister of Bishkel, one of Kinzelo's executives.

Margiella just smiled meaningfully, as if she could see right through Jin's thoughts.

"Until we meet again, Sir Jin. It was nice to meet you."

Woah!

[Mya!]

Jin summoned Shuri by taking out ruby from his pocket. Margiella found Shuri's appearance adorable and giggled to herself, while Jin abruptly left the place.

"H-hey, he's so rude!"

Joe clicked his tongue and complained, but Margiella shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, still, he's cool. I like that style."

Jin ran at full speed, praying that the small beastmen hadn't been engulfed by the flames yet.

After running for about ten minutes without seeing any sign of the small beastmen, Jin felt intense anxiety.

'How on earth did those little guys move so quickly? I dare say there aren't many creatures on the surface that can move faster than Shuri, maybe none at all.'

Although the battle with the Spectres didn't last that long, he was already getting frustrated that he couldn't catch up with them after running for ten minutes.

Suddenly, Shuri's tracking of the small beastmen' footprints came to an abrupt stop.

'They must have moved along the river!'

He was at the riverbank. Jin could see how the small beastmen could move so quickly.

Splash!

Shuri leaped into the river and started swimming with all its might.

The Watertails could swiftly move along the river whenever they had a few large leaves that grow in land of beastmen, effectively using them as boats.

Jin felt relieved. If they followed the river downstream, the Spectres wouldn't have many means to pursue them.

After another twenty minutes of following the river, Jin finally encountered one of the small beastmen. It was Darkflame.

"Darkflame!"

"Oh, Jin, it's you."

Darkflame was riding a leaf-made boat alone, carrying something that looked like fireworks on its back.

"What about the rest of the beastmen?"

"They are there, running, hiding."

"Why are you the only one left behind?"

"Something, dangerous, happens. I'll, warn."

As the leader of the Watertail tribe, Darkflame was sacrificing himself for the sake of the other beastmen.

"The Spectres on the cave side have been taken care of."

"Oh, that's a relief."

"But two other specters are looking for you, so we shouldn't stay here. We need to regroup quickly."

Upon hearing this, Darkflame widened its eyes and nodded.

"Understood. Follow me. Come."

Whoosh!

Darkflame took a deep breath, and it seemed incredible how much air his small body could hold. With his breath fully taken, he looked like a giant barrel about to explode.

Whoosh...! Splash, splash, splash!

As Darkflame exhaled, the wind spread like a shockwave, and the speed of the leaf boat increased remarkably.

Moreover, with the typical thin tail of the Watertails, it created a water spout, making it difficult for Shuri to keep up.

[Mya, mya, mya, mya!]

At such a tremendous speed down the river, it didn't take long for them to spot the remaining beastmen. All the Golden Snow tribesmen were on the leaf boats of the Watertails.

"Oh! Our partner! You've come back alive! You kept your promise!"

Peng, vigorously waving his hand, shouted with excitement.

"Wow!"

The small beastmen hugged each other tightly, shouting in joy. Jin felt a moment of pride at the sight, but he knew that things were far from over.

"Wha-what, what's that?"

"That, what is it?"

The Watertails pointed behind Jin and Darkflame.

"Crazy, it's the mages! Everyone, speed up, guys!"

"Human mages are chasing us!"

They turned around and indeed saw the mages, two of them dressed in gray robes. They were using wind and ice magic spells to follow the beastmen on the other side of the river.

Similar to how Barton unleashed multiple sword strikes to gain propulsion for flight, they were wildly using magic to catch up with the beastmen.

"Everyone, bow down, and head to the land!"

Jin drew his sword and shouted.

The Spectres were already aiming attack spells at them. On the river, no matter how fast they moved, they couldn't avoid the attacks, and there was no way to take cover.

"Uh, aah."

"Oh no, save the Golden Snow tribesmen!"

The Watertails quickly turned the direction of their leaf boats. The Golden Snow tribesmen threw all their gold pouches and nuggets into the river.

Ziiing!

As the attack began, Jin leaped into the air and extended his sword.

'Darn it, even though I suppressed the mana backflow during the journey, I'm not in a condition to fight properly yet...!'

He needed to use the Black light Call.

However, there was no room to unleash the Black light call right now. The barrage of mana beams kept pouring in relentlessly, leaving him with no energy to use other techniques while dealing with them.

'As long as I buy time until the small beastmen escape, it will be fine. After that, I just need to call the Plutonian brethren, and it'll be over!'

It was another battle against time. Would the beastmen escape first, or would Jin exhaust himself first?

"Darkflame!"

"Uh, yes!"

"Listen carefully. Once you get to the land, don't run into the forest. All of you should flee toward the open plains. If you head into the forest, they will set it on fire entirely. Got it?"

"Understood, yes!"

Luckily, the river was narrow, so the small beastmen swiftly climbed to the land.

In response, the Spectres quickly crossed the river to change their positions towards Jin and the beastmen.

But even during the shift, the barrage of mana beams continued without pause.

'Since they used multiple spells to cross the river at once, they haven't been able to fully unleash their attacks yet. However, once they're on land, they won't be able to attack all beastmen with mana beams.'

Not only that, after they do not need mana for movement, one mage would shoot beams while the other prepared significant magic spells.

Given the circumstances, Jin had no choice but to unleash the Black light call, even if it meant some of the small beastmen would die. How many innocent and kind beastmen would lose their lives?

As he wrestled with these thoughts, a subtle vibration was transmitted from the direction of the forest where the small beastmen were fleeing. It felt like a faint earthquake, as if some massive creature was running madly.

'What's happening? It seems like these vibrations are created by a giant creature running…'

In that moment of contemplation, Jin realized the source of the vibration.

"We've spotted the mages!"

"We've confirmed the presence of the 12th flagbearer!"

The vibration originated from the charge of over fifty Guardian Knights from Runcandel who were rushing at full speed. They were filled with energy, causing such a significant vibration.

Led by Jin's siblings, of course.

"Huh, my youngest brother? Were you fighting these guys alone to protect the beastmen?"

The 7th flagbearer of Runcandel and third daughter, Mary Runcandel, spoke.

"All guardian knights! Protect the 12th flagbearer and the beastmen. 4th and 5th squad, each take a group of beastmen and lead them to safety."

The 4th flagbearer of Runcandel, the second son, Diphus Runcandel, gave orders.

They had been waiting in the clan's main house until they received news of a massive mana detected in Zhan Kingdom. Upon hearing the news, they rushed here.

"They look like the most elite mages, but they don't seem to have any crest. Anyway, the youngest, you look quite impressive in this situation."

The appearance of the new Runcandel's flagbearers made the Spectres hesitate and adjust their stance.

"With this, I have repaid the debt from the mission to kill the Black Knight, Jin."

Diphus took his place beside Jin and said.

Diphus's greatsword, Volgar, and Mary's chain sword, Viper, emitted unique glows, each with its own vibrant aura.

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章節 180: Chapter 339

[T/L: punisher87]

[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]

The guardian knights of the 4th and 5th group swiftly divided their forces and took charge of the beastmen. The rest of the knights, undaunted, spread out their formation and began their search.

Their sharp, shining swords encircled the Spectres, and the aura emanating from the knights seemed capable of slaying the mages on the spot.

They were the most loyal knights of Mary and Diphus, all of whom were soon to be promoted to "Enforcement Knights," the rank just before the Black Knights - meaning they were skilled knights at the level just below the Black Knights.

'This is a tough situation even for spectres. With just elder brother Diphus and sister Mary, it's already a headache, and now we have more than fifty Enforcement Knight-level knights.'

Unlike Jin, Mary and Diphus had been flagbearers for a long time. Naturally, the knights following them were exceptional veterans, unlike Jin's group, which mainly consisted of high-level novices.

The Spectres stopped their attack and assumed a defensive stance.

They had expected Runcandel to come, but they hadn't anticipated it would happen so quickly.

Their plan did not account for Jin's presence, the barrier of the Felinoids tribe, or even Berakt Sidricker.

Their original plan was just to gather and crush the beastmen who were haggling over money and leave the place before Kinzelo and Runcandel arrived.

However, everything went awry from the beginning. The barrier set up by the Felinoids tribe was so solid that it took them two days to break through, and even then, one of the five members died from start.

And it was at the hands of the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel.

Nevertheless, at first, they thought they were lucky when they saw Jin.

Capturing Jin alive and taking him away was far more valuable to Zipfel than killing the beastmen and destroying their cosmetics business.

But in the end, as the situation now showed, it was all a mess.

Now, it wasn't about destroying the cosmetics business or capturing Jin. The top priority was to escape safely from Runcandel's territory and return home.

The two members of the Spectres present here did not know even that had become difficult. Because the Spectres inside the cave already become Berakt's diner.

"The youngest."

Amidst the tense atmosphere between the Guardian knights and the Spectres, Mary called out to Jin in a light voice.

"Why were you here? Weren't you supposed to take on the mission of rescuing some duke or count from the Ekan Kingdom? I'm sure I saw you off on your mission."

Despite being aware that the mages before her were monstrous beings of at least 10-star level, she only felt a slight sense of danger, as if she had encountered a wild boar while climbing a hill.

Of course, for an ordinary person, even that would be an overwhelming terror, but for someone like Mary, it was no more than the feeling of finding a hearty meal.

"That..."

Mary smirked.

"Is something wrong?"

"Elder sister, do you remember the agreement we made last time, that we fight once every three months?"

-The winner is determined based on knockout, and the loser must fulfill one order from the winner. Of course, we'll write up a contract to ensure there are no misunderstandings.

-That sounds intriguing. Though the contract might be a bit complicated.

Mary nodded, recalling the excitement of that day.

"Let's say I won that time, and you have to follow one of my orders."

Mary's eyes widened at Jin's words.

"What? But that was a draw. Okay, this elder sister let it slide."

"Who would let you off the hook after you scattered those mana bombs in a surprise attack? Come on, help me out here."

"I'm already helping you."

"No one here saw me today."

Mary narrowed her eyes.

When she didn't respond immediately, Jin wondered if he had been too impolite.

But Mary was just enjoying the moment. She liked her youngest brother's audacity; it was always refreshing and exhilarating.

"How dare you see me like that, you brat? Do you think of me as someone who will snitch on my youngest brother or something? Huh?"

"I don't mean that."

"Then why did you suddenly come up with a nonsensical request like that? You and I are family, family. Blood ties! Not all siblings always look at you with contempt like Myu and Anne."

This time, Jin's eyes widened.

He had never considered that he would hear such words from his other siblings, except for Luna and Yona.

Of course, Jin didn't dislike Mary, but he always tried to keep a certain distance, thinking that getting too close might eventually turn them into enemies.

"I will make sure to silence those guys and, if necessary, block any information from reaching the elders. Don't worry, and return to the clan. Oraboni?"

"Why?"

"Oraboni, you should do the same."

"...Alright."

Diphus had already planned to do so, even without Mary saying it. After all, this was a way to "repay" the debt from when he was saved by Jin (they had come here without knowing Jin was here) during their mission to assassinate the Black Knight.

"Now then, I guess we're done talking. Let's meet at home, youngest brother. Oh, and about our agreement to fight once every three months, it's about time for it, so be prepared. Got it?"

"Sure!"

Mary turned around swiftly and called out to the Spectres standing behind her.

"You better not expect to return alive. Instead, I will kill you as painlessly as possible. It looks like it's going to be a fun fight after a long time."

Goooh...!

Mary's whole body began to be dyed with aura. The waves of aura made her hair flutter around her ears, and the ground beneath her feet cracked under the pressure.

'When we fought, it wasn't like this at all.'

The aura Mary emitted was enough to make everyone nearby feel tingling sensations.

Mary had a secret.

She had also improved and given her name to one of the clan's decisive killing moves.

What was more surprising was that it wasn't the clan elders who allowed it, but rather the patriarch of the clan, Chiron Runcandel himself.

'This is... volcano!? No, it's something different.'

The seventh decisive killing move of Runcandel that Jin saw on the 32nd island.

The aura Mary was releasing looked very similar to that. From the appearance of it, it was clear that she was unleashing a variation of the volcano.

But what she unleashed was not a "suicidal attack."

'Now I understand why my father always seemed to have high expectations from elder sister Mary.'

Just seeing Mary's back sent shivers down Jin's spine.

She was undoubtedly someone who couldn't be called stronger than Luna or even Joshua or Luntia.

However, they all agreed that if they had to choose the opponent they least wanted to fight, it would undoubtedly be Mary. She had the power to tire opponents out with her wildness and fierceness, regardless of the level difference.

"Looks like Mary is quite angry. It wouldn't hurt to wish the Spectres a peaceful rest in advance."

Diphus also prepared his decisive killing move as he spoke.

"Is it because they invaded Runcandel's territory?"

"No, it's because they touched you."

In the past, Jin wouldn't have thought much about Diphus's response. He would have assumed that Mary was angry because the Spectres put him in danger, a feeling of anger arising from the enemies ruining her personal source of entertainment.

But now, it is different.

He could feel that Mary was angry not for herself, but specifically for him.

He felt relieved about it.

If it were any other sibling, he would never have been able to witness such a heartwarming scene.

"Now, go and see them. Oh, and congratulations."

"Why are you suddenly saying that?"

"With the invasion from Zipfel this time, your cosmetics business will flourish even more. That's what I meant."

***

"Young Master! Young Master Jin!"

As always, it was Petro's urgent voice that welcomed Jin first upon his return.

"I thought you'd come running to find me today. So, what happened this time? Did I cause some accident without knowing?"

"It's not that, Young Master. While you were on your mission, a commotion broke out. A secret mage unit of Zipfel called the Spectre corp attacked the Zhan Kingdom, and it seems the reason was... to destroy your cosmetics business."

"What? My business?"

Pretending not to know, Jin replied calmly.

Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed Mary and Diphus kept their promise. It was not revealed that Bellop went on a mission disguised as Jin.

"They sent elite mages just to destroy some petty cosmetics business?"

"Yes, because of that, an emergency meeting was called. Young Master, please come in quickly."

"What happened to those mage bastards?"

"The 4th and 7th flagbearer dealt with them."

"Are they both unharmed?"

Jin asked, hiding his expression.

"Yes, Young Master. I heard both of them only suffered minor injuries. Along with the apprehension of the invaders on our territory..."

No one in Zipfel could have ever imagined that the Spectre corp would lose five of their members like this.

Three to Runcandel and two to Kinzelo.

'I don't want to admit it, but I guess this time, I get along with those lunatics surprisingly well.'

Jin inwardly sighed with relief. Regardless of anything else, he was grateful that Mary wasn't seriously injured.

'Now is the time for my business to take off.'

Diphus's last words in the Zhan Kingdom were something Jin had anticipated.

Zipfel had sent an elite secret mage unit to Runcandel's territory to ruin the business managed by the Runcandel's flagbearer. It was an act that could be regarded as a significant invasion or even a declaration of war. No, it had to be. It couldn't be just overlooked.

Click.

As Jin entered the meeting room, he saw all the flagbearer and elders gathered.

They briefly glanced at him and then resumed their conversation among themselves.

"These damn bastards! Are they looking down on us...? From today onwards, the Black Sword association will strike every one of their magic product production sites and exterminate them all!"

"Indeed, elder president! Zipfel's actions are nothing less than the Black Knights invading the Lutero Magic Federation! Those damn bastards have done something that can't go unpunished."

"Even civilians could have been harmed. Where did the war treaty go!"

"The 12th Flagbearer was their most wanted person, but we can overlook this. If we let it go without retaliation, the whole world will ridicule Runcandel."

Even if the whole world ridicules them, Zipfel will still feel bitter even if Runcandel does not retaliate. It was only natural to feel that way after losing their best five mages so embarrassingly.

In truth, Runcandel had already gained an unimaginable advantage.

However, Jin was not satisfied with that level of success.

"Elders, may I say something about this situation?"

As soon as he spoke, all eyes turned to Jin.

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