章節 114: CHAPTER 273
The mana bombs thrown by Mary rolled and scattered. Although they appeared to be small and innocent blue eggs, each one of them could end the lives of dozens of humans in an instant.
How many of these are there? How is it that one almost forgets about these things?
There were at least two hundred, according to a rough estimate.
Certainly, there wouldn't be too many people in the world crazy enough to request a battle with such lethal things scattered all around.
The plains, which until a few moments ago had been nothing but empty space, were now a death arena.
"Don't tell me you're afraid now. We've come this far. Don't disappoint your older sister..."
Shing!
Jin unsheathed Sigmund. Mary grinned widely upon seeing it.
Regardless of one's mastery, seeing him react like this would send shivers down anyone's spine. Fortunately, Jin was able to conceal his surprise.
"Yes, that's right."
Mary gradually raised her energy, causing her short and fluffy hair to flutter in the air.
Her eyes shone as if she were looking at her beloved, but they were filled with the spirit of battle and killing intent.
Indeed, Mary was not the strongest in the Runcandel clan. But in terms of pure reverence and enjoyment of battle and victory itself, none could rival her.
"May I take the first step?"
"Of course."
"Really?"
"Yes, I told you."
"Thanks for the offer, then."
Jin lowered his sword and assumed his stance. Mary was so ecstatic that she felt like she was flying. How long had she been waiting for this moment?
Their own father described him as a formidable force. Yes, the energy is extraordinary. Oh, the thrill, the satisfaction, the ecstasy! Jin, let's exchange blows all day until one of us ends up in the healer's care!
While Mary suppressed her excitement, Jin slowly prepared his attack.
His movement was extremely slow. It was so slow that Jin wouldn't have dared to make this move if Mary hadn't offered him the initiative.
Jin and Mary's bodies were extremely strong, though not as unbreakable as Luna's.
But even those bodies wouldn't last long after a full-fledged battle on the mana bomb-infested field they were in.
It would be better to end this with a single strike. I don't want to meet the healers twice in a row.
Jin intended to execute the first maneuver of the Shadow Blade, the Soul Slash.
He had trained the Soul Cut every day during the year he spent in Lafrarosa. But, of course, he was nowhere near mastery, which would allow him to stab the enemy's soul itself.
But Jin's Soul Slash had made a tremendous leap with training. He was skilled enough that he no longer had to tell himself to launch it like before, and the attack was now more deadly.
But if they gave him enough time to repeat the phrase like before and align his Shadow Energy, he could do much more.
He could even create a deadly force capable of threatening transcendent masters like Luna or Vanessa.
Therefore, assuming Mary would wait for him to make the first move, Jin could bring her to the brink of death with a single blow.
Sigmund's pale blade began to turn black.
Shadow Energy. It must be Solderet's power. This is quite dull compared to the excitement I felt when I first unsheathed the sword. No, it's not just dull. It's too weak. I don't feel anything at all.
Five seconds passed in that state.
Mary still seemed to have detected no threat.
After ten seconds like that, she was about to get angry. She wanted to yell at him and reprimand him for doing nothing.
Huh?
It was her natural fighter's instinct that instantly told her that the Shadow Energy gathering in Sigmund was dangerous.
That's an interesting sword technique. It emits no pressure at all, but it sends shivers down my spine!
Mary's instincts were always right.
And this is what her instincts told her: If she gave him just a few more seconds, she would be defeated in a single blow.
"Hey!" Mary suddenly closed the distance between her and Jin. She reached him in the blink of an eye and made a vertical slash.
Ching!
Jin had no choice but to stop the movement he was making and parry the attack.
"Mary, I thought you said you'd let me make the initial move."
"Don't push it too far, you shameless brat! I don't know what you were trying to do, but I know it was something beyond my capabilities."
"That's a misunderstanding. How could I know techniques like that if I haven't even been taught the final moves?"
"Anyway, I'm not letting you start with moves you can't even use in real fights."
Mary's eyes gleamed dangerously as she continued with more sword techniques. She dazzled Jin's sight with highly variable and destructive swordplay.
Tsk, that didn't work. She would never have felt the power of the Shadow Energy. Did she sense it by instinct?
Jin's Shadow Energy was currently at seven stars.
Shadow Energy was stronger than ordinary powers like aura or mana by two star grades, which meant that it could gather a destructive force of a nine-star aura or mana with just his Shadow Energy.
But that wasn't the only advantage of Shadow Energy. Unlike other forces, highly concentrated Shadow Energy emitted no presence.
It was the same principle by which shadows had no weight, regardless of their size.
However, Mary sensed the tremendous power of the other side of the energy that didn't emit presence, and Jin was forced to change his plans.
"Come on. You're the one taking this too far, Mary. We're not fighting for our lives. Why would you scatter bombs everywhere?"
"Haven't you heard of my old nickname?"
"The crazy b*tch of the southern continent?" Jin asked.
"Yes, I really liked that name. Much more than being called Mistral Mary these days."
Yes, the crazy b*tch suits you better.
Jin struggled not to add that remark and instead corrected his posture. Luckily, Jin had considered the possibility of interruptions, so he didn't end up with an overload of Shadow Energy.
Shik! Swip!
Mary began to release waves of blades around her. Jin took a step back and focused first on his defense.
The mana bombs were getting on his nerves. If he didn't carefully neutralize the sword waves, the bombs would detonate. And if even one exploded, a horrifying chain reaction of explosions would start.
Mary burst into laughter.
Their auras projected a dazzling play of lights in the air. Every clash of swords caused sparks and shockwaves that spread through the area.
For now, the shockwaves only scattered the bombs. But the unpredictability of their potential detonation sent chills down Jin's spine.
Mary's alias of being the crazy b*tch seemed quite fitting.
Jin fought with a thick aura barrier around him, but Mary was busy launching fierce attacks as if she didn't see the bombs surrounding her. In fact, she almost seemed to want them to explode as quickly as possible.
Is Mary the excessively sane type, just like Luna?
Luna was unaffected after the initiation ritual with the singing stones.
Perhaps the high-grade anti-personnel mana bombs only left scratches on Mary's body even if she received them without any shields.
"Uhuhu, bwahahaha! You block them so well. This is deadly!"
Swiff, swip, crack!
Mary's sword suddenly began to whip around like a whip.
Her favorite sword, Viper, appeared to be an ordinary longsword, but by unlocking its internal mechanism with aura, it turned into a chain sword.
The sword flew at a right angle and suddenly extended, bent, and twisted. Jin was dazzled by her attacks.
The chain sword struck the ground every time Jin evaded or parried. It scraped the earth and rocks, sending them flying. Meanwhile, the bombs vibrated as if they would explode at any moment.
The detonations were inevitable.
Jin saw a bomb right under his feet forming a tiny crack in slow motion.
Damn it.
Jin sighed and raised his aura. Due to the side effects of failing in his soul slash, he couldn't unleash the Shadow Energy.
This would have been easier if he had brought the Dark Light Armor.
But the Dark Light Armor was horribly damaged during training in Lafrarosa. He had to rely on his aura barrier and the Rune of Myulta.
Once the bombs start detonating, Mary will also suffer the damage. I just have to recover before her and attack first... huh?"
Jin's eyes widened. He saw it. The legendary silver armor hidden under Mary's coat! Upd𝒂ted chapters 𝒐n n𝒐velbin(.)com
The silver light armor. This armor, created along with the dark light armor, was another masterpiece of the Minche Smithing Association.
Indeed, Mary was sticking out her tongue with a euphoric expression on her face.
From the beginning, she hadn't wanted to face Jin fairly. The mana bombs weren't placed just for thrills.
You're not the only one who knows how to provoke others, Jin.
Mary smiled pleasantly, and Jin clenched his teeth. The truth was, it had been a long time since Jin felt tactically lost and provoked against his will.
He had no idea he would fall into such things against Mary.
He was caught off guard.
The chain reaction started with a deafening explosion.
The bombs certainly lived up to their high-grade anti-personnel purpose. These bombs Mary prepared were not only highly explosive but also filled with metallic shrapnel, just like the singing stones. The singing stones had limited power since they were constructed for training, but these mana bombs showed no mercy.
Boom, klang! Swip! Pew!
The explosions and flying shrapnel headed towards Jin at a speed intended to tear him apart.
The metallic shrapnel pierced through the shield barrier and tore through his body. If he didn't have the blessed Runcandel body, he would have been minced in a matter of seconds.
And that wasn't all. He had to deal with Mary's continuous attacks once again. He had a relatively smaller area to protect, thanks to the armor, and could move relatively freely.
Of course, the armor wasn't perfect. The shrapnel also lodged into his body. Clearly, that was followed by a pain that invited curses as a reaction.
But Mary was the kind who went for the jugular in exchange for a limb. Anyway, Jin was already at a disadvantage against her.
"I know these won't finish you off. But you'll have to risk a serious injury, at the very least. Then, I'll slowly tear you apart until I defeat you!"
The Adder chain sword flew without losing its strength, even amidst all the explosions.
She couldn't accurately target the critical points due to the smoke, but Mary felt the thrilling sensation of piercing flesh from time to time.
The explosions lasted for three minutes. Civilians and most martial artists would have been obliterated by the prolonged and powerful explosions.
Mary stood up and gasped as she waited for the dust to settle, hoping to see the tatters of her younger brother.
Once the dust cleared, she could see Jin on one knee, completely motionless like a statue. His body was drenched in blood, and he was coughing up blood as well.
"Are you okay? Have I gone too far? If you feel like you're about to die, let's stop here."
Mary wasn't the type to say those things. Mary immediately covered her chain sword with a new layer of aura. There was no need to lower her guard before she was certain she had crushed her enemy.
"Brother..."
Mary's eyes gleamed again at Jin's call. "Yes, my dear brother! You can still go on, can't you?"
Jin slowly lifted his head and finished his sentence. "I'm going to kill you."
章節 115: CHAPTER 274
Jin felt as if magma was boiling in his head and chest. His blood rushed faster, and his teeth were clenched so tightly that his jaw felt numb.
It wasn't due to the pain he endured from the explosions and shrapnel tearing through his body.
It was because of the explosive fury he felt towards Mary.
Jin spat out blood-filled saliva and tore off the burnt shreds of clothing stuck to his skin. His flesh was seared red-hot and stung with incredible pain, but it was nothing compared to the pieces of metal now lodged deep within his body.
Some of his bones and joints felt loose, but he managed to avoid any critical injuries to his internal organs thanks to his blessed body and the blood of the Battle God.
With all his heart, he truly wanted to kill his third sister.
Mary seemed pleased as she combed through her disheveled hair, seemingly innocent of her intentions. "Did you say you wanted to kill me?"
He nodded.
"Who taught you to say such sweet things? Aww. Come on, come at me!"
Even Jin's murderous intent made Mary happy.
To Jin, it felt like something Yona would say, except Mary had never secretly left green roses tied for Jin like Yona had.
Apart from the gift of the Phoenix Heart, Jin didn't owe her anything. And by now, that debt could be considered almost completely paid off.
"Let me ask you something in advance."
"What is it?"
"It seems you're fully satisfied, judging by your reactions. Allow me to offer you a chance as well. How about you return Bradamante now and we end this here? What do you think?"
Mary wiped the joy off her face and abruptly put on a cold expression. "That won't work at all. Satisfied? No way. Not at all."
"Understood. Then I'll consider the debt settled since I offered. And now, I'm starting to get curious. Are you really the crazy type, or do you just act like it? If it's the latter, I won't save you even if you beg for forgiveness later."
Sigmund lit up in blue as it absorbed the lightning energy.
Mary was picking out the embedded pieces of metal from her body when she caught a glimpse of the new power Jin unleashed. She almost screamed with joy.
Yesterday, it was revealed that Jin was Solderet's contractor, but his use of the mysterious lightning energy had already been revealed in the Holy Kingdom incident.
Therefore, Mary was more curious about the lightning energy than the Shadow Energy because she wanted to know how powerful the lightning energy was, as both Zipple and Vermont had coveted it until it was revealed that Bamel was Jin.
"Come on, show it to me."
Before she could finish her sentence, lightning struck Mary's head.
Sword of Legends: Lightning. This was another technique Jin had practiced in Lafrarosa every day, along with the Shadow Blade. Jin's lightning energy had also become denser.
A hole appeared where the lightning struck. Mary instinctively moved aside to avoid it and even threw the chain sword to counterattack.
Jin wasn't going to take it easy anymore.
It wasn't even a fight to the death, but Mary was the first to make fierce moves in a mere sparring match between flagbearers.
That was supposed to be Jin's move most of the time.
He had to dodge and block all the persistent sparks of lightning while trying to close the distance between them.
Is she trying to fight from a distance? Yes, if I could wield such lightning after being injured like that, I would also seek distance. She's going to make it rain lightning, and when she sees an opportunity, she'll probably unleash waves of blades.
But Mary had forgotten something.
Jin wasn't just a swordsman who wielded lightning energy. He was a spellcasting swordsman.
What? Why is he closing the distance now? Does he also feel safe at close range? Or is he finding it difficult to wield the lightning?
Since Jin left Tessing as a provisional flagbearer, his enemies often started to recognize his magical prowess after experiencing this spell.
The hidden move of a Great Magician whose name had been erased from history by the Zipple clan, the ancient light magic that had been lost: Photon Cannon.
A strong light burst from Jin's hand. Mary instinctively screamed in response.
"My eyes! It feels like they're burning! That's right. That brat. He's a Magic Swordsman!"
Mary managed to cover her eyes as the photon cannon fired.
Jin trained for more than just the Shadow Blade and the Sword of Legends in Lafrarosa. He underwent extremely rigorous magic training and had to endure mana reflux several times. As a result of his training, Jin's magical prowess was already approaching the final stage of the five-star rating.
Thanks to that, the power of the photon cannon was on par with Tzen-mi's level. Unless the enemy could defend against it with full knowledge of what was coming, they would undoubtedly have trouble.
An extraordinary genius came back to life to live it once again, went through countless trials, met all sorts of powerful people, and never felt satisfied with his achievements, not a single day.
There was no way Jin could be weaker than Mary.
Swish!
Obviously, Jin didn't miss that brief moment when Mary flinched. He switched from lightning to despotism and thrust his sword at her neck.
Wow, he really is trying to kill me!
Mary realized those weren't empty words as the blade grazed her neck. Of course, she could only feel elated, like someone who had won a huge lottery prize.
Zas!
This time, Jin's low kick struck Mary's thigh. She stumbled a bit and lost her stance, while Jin immediately switched from despotism back to lightning.
She let out a cry as the lightning grazed her, but Mary also demonstrated why she was a Runcandel flagbearer.
She punched the side of Sigmund with her fist and headbutted Jin's head.
His skull and the Rune of Myulta collided.
The artifact could easily block the blow of a seven-star knight, but surprisingly, Jin felt the impact of the attack reverberate through the inside of his helmet, ringing in his skull.
This is crazy! What's with this headbutt?
If he hadn't been wearing a helmet, Jin would undoubtedly have received most of the damage.
But that wasn't all. The reason she used her fist to strike outside of Sigmund and headbutted instead of using the chain sword was that all of that was just preparation for the true strike.
Shrrt, shluk!
The chain sword snapped and cut Jin's chest. In return, Mary's wrist received a slash from Sigmund, almost making her drop the sword.
If someone said this bloody battle was the clash between siblings who had just seen each other for the first time in four years, without grudges or affections between them, no one would believe it.
But the additional comment that those two were Runcandel flagbearers could make people start nodding their heads.
This was closer to the true form of the rank war that their ancestors after Temar had hoped for.
"Die!" Mary shouted as she looked at him. Her sword movements became fiercer despite the injuries she received.
Jin didn't back down and wielded Sigmund with equal strength. Mary's sword movements sent sharp aura splinters flying, while Jin's launched energy bolts into the air.
The fight was at a stalemate. Sigmund and Viper exchanged several sword strikes in a second, but neither managed to attack without allowing the other to do the same.
If one was slashed, the other was stabbed. The first to lose concentration would fall after a critical blow.
"Bwahaha! The tip of your sword is quite ferocious, my dear brother!"
Of course, each had their secret weapons.
Mary concealed her final moves, while Jin refrained from using the Battle God's techniques.
"If I use the Battle God's techniques, Mary will undoubtedly die."
Or perhaps he could be defeated by his sister's final moves.
Given the power of Runcandel's final moves, it was undoubtedly possible. But the key point was the fact that Jin had many more cards to play.
The new moves of the Shadow Blade that he had learned from the battle kings recently, the Master Combat Technique of the Sword of Legends that he learned from Vahn himself, and the magic he had yet to unleash.
Was he going to resort to them just to be able to truly kill Mary?
Absolutely not.
Her unbearably rough way of expressing herself did make him extremely furious, to the point where he almost wanted to kill her.
But Mary had only approved of Jin in her own way.
From the moment Jin returned to the Garden of Swords, all she did was approve of Jin as a powerful figure she could fight with all her might.
That's why she racked her brains (not very gifted and rather simple) all night to find a way to easily win their first fight, so she could use it as an excuse to fight him again. That's when she found her answer in those mana bombs.
But Mary never despised Jin or hated him.
She simply wanted to enjoy the fight as flagbearers, martial artists, and competitors on equal footing. Of course, she didn't share the deep and warm affection that Luna and Yona felt for him.
But the same was true for Jin, so it wasn't a big problem.
"To kill Mary just because I feel bad would be foolish. I have to win her over to my side and prepare for the battle against Mother."
While Jin thought along those lines, this is what Mary was thinking:
"I would love to use the final moves to settle this fight, but it would be crazy to end such pleasures all at once. It would be a waste."
The two briefly halted their swords.
"Hey, little brother!"
Affection for her younger brother began to bloom in Mary, although it hadn't happened yet in Jin. That's why she started calling him little brother instead of just brother or Jin.
"What?"
"I'll give you Bradamante. But in return, promise me something."
"More promises? I thought you already said you would return it to me if you were satisfied."
"Yes, and as you said, I am already satisfied. But the thing is, I want this satisfaction to continue for a long time. So let's modify the conditions a bit. It won't harm you, so listen to me."
"Then say it."
"Now that I've felt your sword, I feel that one of us will die if we really want to settle the score between us. But we don't really have a reason to kill each other just to settle the score."
"We may not have a reason, but it's certainly justifiable since it's part of the rank war."
"Yes, it's justifiable, but neither of us holds any grudges. So why don't you keep Bradamante, but in exchange, we fight each other every day until one of us can perfectly subdue the other? That would settle the score, wouldn't it?"
"When has our clan called such lukewarm things a fight? If we're going to fight, it's only fair that one of us dies. Besides, remind me. Who shouted 'die' first? And who scattered the bombs?"
"I understand what you mean. I only did it because I like you, but I understand why you misinterpreted it. I only shouted 'die' because I was excited earlier. Hmm. How can I explain this in a way that you'll accept?"
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Because I'm desperate! I mean it. I don't want this to end, not with just a simple fight. Little brother, don't you enjoy fighting with your older sister?"
He didn't exactly hate fighting with her, especially in the sense that he had to overpower the other or give them what they wanted to win them over to his side.
But fighting like that every day was problematic.
"Well, let's do it that way then."
"Tell me, let's go."
"First, we can't fight like this every day. You can only fight with me when I want to."
"Hm. What else?"
"Let's make knockout the condition for victory. The first one to be unconscious is the loser, and the loser must fulfill an order from the winner, no matter what it is. Of course, we'll sign contracts so that no one breaks the rule."
"I like that, although contracts sound quite cumbersome."
"And I assume you stole Bradamante instead of going through the proper procedures, right? Promise me that I won't have to bear any responsibility for your actions after I recover my sword."
"I was going to do it even if you hadn't brought it up. But in return, fight with me at least once a week."
"Once a year."
"That's very shameless of you to ask. No, once a month."
"Five months."
"Two months."
"Three months. Why don't we settle it here?"
"Fine." Surprisingly, Mary calmly accepted the offer.
In reality, Mary also understood very well that her body wouldn't hold up if they fought like that every day. She knew they would need at least a month of rest if they wanted to fight in the best conditions.
In addition to that, they also had flagbearer duties that made it more difficult to be in top shape all the time. Taking everything into account, once every three months was fair.
"So let's write that contract after we finish what we were doing, little brother!"
"Agreed." Fôllôw 𝒏ew stories at n𝒐/v(e)lb/in(.)com
The two continued their bloody battle for another thirty minutes.
And they were both taken to the healer's office together and had to receive intensive care throughout the day.
But when the treatment was over, Mary had an expression of ecstasy on her face, as if she had just woken up from a wonderful dream.
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