章節 231: Chapter 390
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The momentum of the Plutonian Reign Sword was growing stronger by the moment.
It felt as though lightning from the entire world was converging upon the Garden of Swords. Amidst the earth shattering beneath the onslaught of lightning, the shattered annular solar eclipse fluttered through the air like blossoms.
For several seconds, Rosa remained silent, gazing down at her youngest son.
Amidst the devastation of the arena, only the seat of honor where Rosa sat remained tall and untouched, like a solitary pillar. Neither the blaze of the flame of hell nor the lightning strikes of the Plutonian Reign Sword could penetrate her energy.
Just by meeting Rosa's gaze, Jin felt as though he were being crushed under a mountain, and his entire body grew heavy.
'She's strong, stronger than I ever imagined.'
That much was certain. Rosa Runcandel, the Black Panther, was more formidable than any foe Jin had ever encountered. She possessed a power that far surpassed his expectations.
It was only natural though.
The figure sitting on the seat of honor was none other than the second-in-command of the great Runcandel, who had led the Garden of Swords in place of Chiron for a long time. She is the empress of the Runcandel, and she has been recognized by the entire clan as well as the admiration of all the sword masters in the world.
Facing such an influential figure, if Jin hadn't felt this overwhelming presence, he would have been disappointed.
Slowly, Rosa rose from her seat.
Her field of view was only slightly higher, but the feeling of intimidation had multiplied exponentially compared to when she was seated. Jin felt his body as heavy as if it were submerged in water.
"She let her guard down, but who would have expected you to defeat even Luntia and come before this mother."
Her voice was devoid of any emotion.
In Jin's mind, memories of Rosa flashed by like a swiftly passing landscape. Memories from a past life, when he had recognized her not as an enemy but as his "mother."
After Jin's exile, his mother had cut off communication from the outside world for two days. And before his exile, she had even violated the clan's rules to pass on some information in preparation for when he became a flagbearer.
'Surely she knew that Joshua cursed me when I was in the cradle, so why.'
Why had she been so abhorrent when dealing with me?
Was it her last shred of conscience as a mother? But Rosa Runcandel was no weak human who would be swayed by something as insignificant as conscience.
Jin couldn't know and he didn't want to know. He would probably never understand the reason.
What mattered now was breaking that seat.
It was a symbol of the Runcandel that Rosa was displaying, a way to undermine the authority of the second-in-command.
Sigmund's thunderbolt grew stronger.
[I'm doing all this, but I didn't expect you to be so composed, Mother.]
"Speak freely."
[Even if it were my father, I would have certainly done the same.]
Rosa smiled slyly.
"I acknowledge your remarkable growth."
[Perhaps I can give you a chance.]
"A chance..."
[Everyone in the clan has seen my power. That means Runcandel sees the potential for me to become the successor.]
As Rosa's sword emerged from its sheath, it made a sharp and hissing sound.
[In this situation, do you really think the 2nd flagbearer can become the patriarch?]
"So, do you want me to support you instead of the 2nd flagbearer?"
[No. I don't need your help to become the patriarch.]
Jin retorted.
[Disappear somewhere at the right time. When I become the patriarch, there will be no place for you in the Garden of Swords, mother.]
Even with such a strong provocation, Rosa didn't get angry.
Instead, she seemed subtly satisfied and smiled secretly.
Yes, you know what a real Runcandel is, she had that kind of look in her eyes.
It also means that she acknowledged Jin.
On the other hand, it was a smile that implied that Jin was not yet a match for her.
'I'll shatter that arrogant confidence.'
A bitter taste of blood filled his mouth as Jin clenched his teeth. Using the flame of hell and then the Plutonian Reign Sword had brought the risk of a backflow.
Rosa was aware of this fact, so she remained composed.
Furthermore, she believed that this incident alone, by coming this far, was already Jin's victory.
As Jin said, since he demonstrated such power in front of the entire clan, now a significant and certain variable will emerge in the succession structure of the clan.
Perhaps the clan might fall into an uncontrollable chaos. Rosa had foreseen this day ever since Jin returned, from the moment Chiron forgave him, or perhaps even earlier.
'You have gained the upper hand, so you can stop now. But your greed knows no bounds.'
Rosa raised her sword and spoke.
"Come at me, my son."
Her favorite sword, 'Frenzy,' gleamed with a dazzling light. A single sword shining like a lighthouse amidst the storm of the blazing thunderbolt.
As Rosa's energy surged, the shattered pieces of the ground rose into the air like bubbles and disintegrated.
Finally, Jin began to move slowly.
And the moment he took his first step, those gathered here felt an ominous foreboding pressing down on their shoulders.
It was because an unexpected earthquake had suddenly occurred and the entire Garden of Swords began to sway slightly with Jin's steps within the intense noise of the thunderbolt.
Thud, thud, thud. Amidst the intense noise of the thunderbolt, a heavy vibration emerged, growing more pronounced.
The earthquake was a herald of the change in the Plutonian Reign Sword.
It was the battle anthem that only those who inherited Sigmund could sing.
Plutonian Swordsmanship Battle God Technique 10th sword 2nd form
Plutonian Reign Sword - War
Open, a roar that signaled that one person had reached the pinnacle among the kings of light.
It was merely a gesture to raise one's spirits before the battle began.
The second form of battle god move "War" shows the solemn will to annihilate the enemy.
Rosa's pupils dilated.
Once again, even more powerful.
It was a phenomenon that even Rosa could not help but be shocked by witnessing gigantic thunderbolts.
'You still have this kind of power...!'
The word that Rosa first thought of was incomprehensible.
Living as a martial artist for decades, she had never witnessed anything like this. To display such an overwhelming force, far beyond anything Jin had shown before, even when he could have fallen into backflow!
But Jin, her youngest son, is a human.
As a human, he couldn't escape the consequences of defying the order of the world. Rosa immediately understood what Jin had wagered for this power.
What Jin had staked to unleash this power was his own life.
'Is it really worth risking your life just to shatter this symbol, this seat of honor that I occupy? Right after gaining so much?'
Even without shattering Rosa's seat.
Today, Jin had gained immeasurable things. Even if he were to fall now, when he woke up, he would see the countless sword masters offering their loyalty to him.
But to stake his life for this, what on earth...
Rosa, who ridiculed Jin just moments ago, gnashed her teeth in anger.
The judgment she had made with a smile, realizing that Jin knew what real Runcandel is.
She realized that her judgment was wrong and arrogant.
'This is Runcandel, Mother.'
Like a person forever thirsty for battle, never backing down when the fight begins. Even making enemies who were clearly stronger than themselves hesitate and falter in the face of their fighting spirit.
Creating a phenomenon that would deny the fight was over even when the opponent thought it was.
That was what Jin and those who believed in the ancient Runcandel thought Runcandel is.
Suddenly, as if millions of migrating birds had taken flight, a dark cloud covered the sky.
Underneath that ominous cloud, the only ones who could remain unharmed were the Plutonians and those who ruled above them.
Kururur...!
Unbelievable lightning bolts rained down like an absurd thunderstorm. Countless streaks of thunder struck the ground without warning. A deluge of lightning was devastating the Garden of swords.
Throughout the Garden of Swords, flagbearers and elders unleashed the decisive killing moves.
They fought with desperation on their faces, giving their all as if their lives depended on it. However, even the several dozen decisive killing moves that unfolded simultaneously appeared minuscule in the face of the thousands, even tens of thousands, of lightning bolts pouring down.
Can this be called swordsmanship?
It seemed more like an authority.
The sword masters defending against the lightning felt as if they were trapped in a long and dark nightmare.
They could not believe that this horrific nightmare had been started by the 12th flagbearer.
Rosa, who had been composed until now, was also overwhelmed by madness.
With each swing of her sword, the thunder was wiped out, but the cloud continued to unleash more violent lightning.
Amidst this chaos, Jin calmly walked forward. He strode forward confidently, as if he were a king reclaiming his territory, heading straight for Rosa.
The resonating sound of Sigmund reverberated powerfully. Its blade was aimed at Rosa's throat. His mother's imposing posture, sitting high and mighty, seemed oddly bitter as she was wielding Frenzy.
Now was the time to decorate the finale of the declaration.
Thunk!
As Jin raised Sigmund, it seemed almost like a lie. The thunderbolts ceased. The lightning, which had been roaring as if heralding the end of the world, disappeared all at once.
The sword masters, like people who had awakened from a nightmare, stared around in disbelief at the sudden calm.
But the thunderbolts hadn't disappeared.
The thunderbolts were simply converging toward Sigmund's blade at a rapid pace. So much power converged effortlessly into that single blade.
Everyone was witnessing something they had never seen before.
Everyone knew what was going to happen in the next moment. That pale blade, which had swallowed everything, would now fall towards Rosa.
The distance between the two when they faced each other was short.
Jin slammed his sword straight at her center.
There was no way for Rosa to evade this sword. As the Second-in-Command of Runcandel, her only choice was to face it head-on.
Pick...!
As Sigmund clashed with Frenzy, Rosa's eye veins burst. Her eyes, which had widened for a moment, grew thin again and expanded, and caused twitching.
Though there was only a single tear of blood, it was the first time anyone had seen Rosa cry.
The seat she had been sitting on crumbled as if it were nothing but a plaything in the hands of a giant.
[I, Jin Runcandel, the 12th Flagbearer.]
Before losing consciousness, Jin managed to conclude his words.
[... will become the patriarch.]
As Jin collapsed, Rosa vomited a mouthful of blood.
The sword masters could not help but feel a strange sense of dissonance as they looked at Rosa's pale face and the unconscious Jin, as if reality were crumbling.
章節 232: Chapter 391
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October 1, 1799.
The depths of the Black Sea.
A man is running with his body covered in black blood, intestines, and flesh of a monster.
He is guardian knight Kahn. In his arms, he carries a letter he received from the enforcement knight who had come all the way to the beginning of the Black Sea.
It has been over ten years since he has been delivering letters to Chiron about Jin. However, Kahn's face was more serious than ever.
He couldn't examine the contents of the letter, but he had heard from the enforcement knight about what had happened at the main house.
'I have to go as quickly as possible. Before the patriarch enters the territory of the five kings of the Black Sea...!'
Territory of the five kings of the Black Sea.
Chiron and his knights were now planning to enter the land ruled directly by the kings of the Black Sea beyond its depths.
Kahn had encountered the enforcement knight while inspecting the beginning of the Black Sea and its surroundings one last time before that.
The cursed land had always been like this, but from the territory of the five kings of the Black Sea onward, it would be a completely unknown world.
Perhaps after entering, they would be completely cut off from the outside world for a while.
Today, there were unusually many monsters clinging to him. Each one was a creature that could become a demonic creature with core as long as they had the time and opportunity, and Kahn had to fight them for another full and half-day even after entering the depths.
Huff, hoo...
When Chiron's expedition team started to become visible, it was when he could no longer endure. Fortunately, they had yet to enter the territory of the five kings of the Black Sea.
Chiron and the knights were taking a short break, using the monster's corpses as fuel for a fire. The foul smell of burning monster flesh stung their noses.
"Lord Patriarch."
Kahn lowered his head and took a breath. The unpleasant smell of burning monster corpses pierced his nostrils.
"What's the matter, Kahn?"
Chiron, as always, remained seated in the air. The haggard faces of knights contrasted with his clean face.
"I received an urgent letter from the main house. It's about the 12th Flagbearer."
Chiron slowly opened his eyes, filled with curiosity.
"Bring it here."
With a polite gesture, Kahn handed the letter to him.
Rip!
For the knights except Kahn, watching Chiron tearing the seal with intense curiosity was a highly unusual sight.
Kahn felt a strange sense of pride in that fact.
'It's been a while since the Patriarch has shown such interest, especially after the 1st Flagbearer.'
'I've heard senior Black Knights talk about it a few times, but it seems the Patriarch has high expectations for the 12th Flagbearer.'
While the Black Knights marveled at the situation, there was one monster who discreetly wondered if it was okay to interject.
[Ha, hahaha. Oh my, it seems like there's good news, old man!]
It was the legendary monster Ozdock.
Of course, Chiron didn't respond to Ozdock's flattering comment.
Instead, the cold gazes of the Black Knights were directed at Ozdock. It meant for him to shut his mouth and quietly sit in a corner.
Unfortunately, Ozdock failed to read the atmosphere (and even interpreted Chiron's lack of response as a positive sign) and continued cheerfully raising his voice.
He did so out of exhaustion. Without a word, the relentless days of slaughter and combat had worn down even Ozdock, a demonic creature who had lived for two thousand years.
Ozdock desperately wanted to say something, whether it's light banter or casual chit-chat, anything.
[Well, if it's the 12th Flagbearer. Isn't that your youngest son, the one who fought with me back then? He took one of my inner ocre. Oh, of course, I don't mean that it was a waste. It'll be put to good use... Hehe. Your son was quite an impressive guy. Handsome too... Hik! P-please don't hit me. I apologize!]
Just as the Black Knights were about to intervene and forcibly silence Ozdock, Chiron lightly raised his hand to stop them.
"Leave him be."
"Yes!"
As the Black Knights withdrew their raised fists and bowed awkwardly, Ozdock nervously scratched the back of his head.
[I apologize. I just thought you might have some good news, old man. Um, um... I'll go fetch some tea right away!]
True to Ozdock's words, a faint smile had already appeared on Chiron's lips.
He began reading the letter.
(Patriarch, the 12th Flagbearer has caused an incident.)
"Zed."
He could tell from the first line. It was the handwriting of his younger brother, the only one among his siblings who had survived the battle of hegemony in his youth.
(He leaked information about the tomb of the First Patriarch through the 7th Flagbearer. The Patriarch probably knew about it even before, but just that caused chaos in the clan.
Do you know what happened while everyone was waiting to confirm the truth after his return?
As soon as he returned, he had a fight with elder council president Jorden. Because of this, the elder council president cut off both of his arms. The Holy Queen came and healed him, but he narrowly escaped by not wielding the sword as before.)
At those words, Chiron's brows narrowed, and Ozdock suddenly knelt and extended a skull, not a teacup, but a monster's skull filled with tea.
The fire used to brew the tea came from the burning monster corpses, making it a truly gruesome tea. Nevertheless, the fact that this tea was one of the greatest luxuries one could enjoy in this place was something that no one would believe.
(Anyway, right after the treatment... he made a declaration to reinstate the status of Runcandel as the magic swordsmen clan.
Then he suppressed the opposing Elders and defeated the 3rd Flagbearer in a direct confrontation.)
Chiron's pupils dilated. Ozdock and the Black Knights couldn't help but be taken aback by his reaction.
The 3rd Flagbearer, Luntia.
If she had lost to Jin, it was undoubtedly because she had let her guard down. However, Luntia's defeat to Jin was still a fresh shock to Chiron.
Whether it was because she let her guard down or because Jin had reached a new level, a loss was still a loss.
(The arena where the incident occurred disappeared without a trace, and he nearly obliterated the central courtyard and main house.
After wielding a flame-type magic sword, he unleashed insane lightning strikes... it's difficult to explain. You had to see it firsthand.
I knew that lunatic would someday cause a major incident in the clan, but I never expected it to be this catastrophic.
Below is a summary of the damages in the Garden of Swords as we struggled to handle the 12th Flagbearer.
Acting matriarch, critically injured.
2nd Flagbearer, 4th Flagbearer, 5th Flagbearer, 6th Flagbearer, 7th Flagbearer, 8th Flagbearer, 9th Flagbearer, 10th Flagbearer, 11th Flagbearer, minor injuries.
3rd Flagbearer, critically injured.
12th Flagbearer, in a critical condition.
Chief of the Black Sword Association, Chief of the Guardians of Law, Chief of the Guardians of Civilians, minor injuries.
Elder Council, more than half with minor injuries.
Guardian knights: 1 severely injured, 4 with minor injuries.
Enforcement Knights: 12 severely injured, 54 with minor injuries.
Numerous others were injured.
No casualties among combatants.
No casualties among non-combatants.
At the request of the main house, the decree of the second stage of the emergency state in Huphester was activated, complete lockdown of Huphester Alliance transfer gates, and media control in progress.
The Garden of Swords is maintaining a state of war, recalling all dispatched knights.
...The precise list of injured is detailed in the final section.
The Acting matriarch suffered deep internal injuries due to not evading the blow containing his full fighting spirit in the end.
Medical staff say she needs to take extreme rest for a while.
Do you believe this? It wasn't a sudden attack by the Zipfel Main force, nor an invasion by Vermont, nor a rebellion.
All of this happened because of the power of the 12th Flagbearer. Because of that reckless kid who hasn't even reached twenty!
Elder Brother.
If possible, it would be good to return for a while. It would be a great source of strength for the members of the clan.
And it would be a pleasure to see how he has grown with your own eyes.)
Hahahaha...!
Chiron suddenly bursted into laughter.
Ozdock tried to laugh along discreetly, but when he met Chiron's eyes, he had to shut his mouth.
Chiron erased his laughter at that moment.
By now, the knights were also eager to know the contents of the letter. So, they subtly signaled Kahn. After all, he had been responsible for letters regarding the 12th Flagbearer for a while, so they wanted him to try his luck.
"My lord, is the situation at the main house not as bad as I've heard?"
"What have you heard?"
"I heard from Enforcement Knight that the entire Huphester has been locked down, and it's in a state of war."
"That's written in the letter as well. But it's not something that can be covered by hiding it, and it seems like everyone was shocked."
"To be honest, I'm worried about the 12th Flagbearer."
"What we should be worried about is the land beyond that."
Kahn and the knights nodded heavily. Chiron's gaze extended beyond the depths, toward the territory of the five kings of the Black Sea.
The Five Kings of the Black Sea, just a few more days and they would reach that territory. A day's journey ahead, Luna, Vanessa, and Tuben were conducting reconnaissance.
In that land, even Chiron would have to exert his full strength in many battles.
Rustle, Chiron turned the letter back to the front. He wanted to reread the part that had bothered him from the very beginning.
12th Flagbearer, in critical condition.
There was a clear distinction between critical condition and minor injuries. Since the 'declaration of the Magic Swordsmen,' Jin had yet to regain consciousness and remained in a hospital bed.
Towards the end of the letter, there was a plea from Zed to Chiron, asking him to return for a while.
It meant that he didn't want the flames of the 12th Flagbearer to extinguish like this and that he wanted Chiron to take direct action. It also carried the meaning of asking for support, if possible.
It was the first time in his entire life that Chiron had seen Zed making such a request.
"Considering the impending battle with the Black Sea Kings, it would be impolite to be concerned about clan matters."
While he did accept Zed's request, Chiron had no intention of returning and seeing things himself.
"But before I miss the opportunity, I should give him a proper reward."
The compensation Chiron was talking about was not related to the incident Jin had caused this time.
-I will report to the lord that the 12th Flagbearer is the first one who discovered this demonic creature. If the lord deems the demonic creature valuable, there will be a reward accordingly.
What Tuben had said to Jin, as he took Ozdock away.
Since joining Chiron's expedition team, Ozdock had been proving his worth. Although his memories were hazy, he had made significant contributions to the task of finding the territory of the Black Sea Kings.
Even after entering the kings' territory, he remained a valuable asset.
"Kahn."
"Yes, my lord."
"Quickly contact the main house and make arrangements so that Jin can use it."
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