章節 122: CHAPTER 281

"There is an area called Vaollai in the Great Plains of Anz, in the central zone of the plains. Go there and infuse the Shadow Energy into this key. Then his first tomb will be revealed to you."

"Is there anything I should keep in mind?"

"No matter what happens there, do not panic. This is what Solderet wanted me to tell you."

"Is there anything else?"

"Nothing. I wish you luck in your battles, Jin Runcandel."

The key that Picon handed over while uttering those words was a small black rod the size of a finger. It didn't look special at all. If one weren't aware that it was actually a key, they would easily mistake it for a missing piece of a device or something of the sort.

"He told you to infuse your Shadow Energy into it? Give it to me." Murakan took the key and started infusing Shadow Energy into it.

Nothing happened. At least, it seemed so.

"I can see what this object is about. These objects won't activate unless a sufficient amount of Shadow Energy is infused into them. Solderet used to make these things and call them toys."

"Really?"

"So, when are you going to head to the Great Plains of Anz?" Murakan asked.

"I'd like to go immediately, but first I have to see Uncle Jed and also get the dates for the assassination of the Black Knight spy since my mother said that would be my first mission."

"She said she would assign another flagbearer who is an expert in that, alongside you. I suppose it will be Joshua, right? Since it's a crucial mission, he'll try to use you while giving all the credit to Joshua."

"Hmm, I don't think Mother would use such superficial tricks. What do you think, Gilly?"

"I agree with you, young master. I don't think it would be Joshua, that cunning bastard. Oops, sorry. Instead, I believe it would be young Lady Luntia or young Master Dyfus."

Luntia and Dyfus.

These two were always mentioned when people discussed the strongest flagbearer of Runcandel besides Luna, who was above the rest.

"Luntia and Dyfus, huh? Well, that's true. Since we have to eliminate a Black Knight, we'll need someone with a proven track record as well."

"But if they're certain this Black Knight is a spy, why not simply capture and kill him? Why go through the trouble of planning a mission and all that? They could easily execute him as a target for elimination in the Garden of Swords, couldn't they?"

"We need enough justification and a backstory to kill someone as prominent as a Black Knight. We can't reveal to all clan members that the Black Knight had been a spy, so a simple elimination would undermine discipline within the clan while revealing the truth. Holding a trial for espionage would undermine the clan's reputation as this particular spy happens to be a Black Knight."

"Goodness, you humans. You barely live a century, and yet you hold your reputation in higher esteem than us dragons. So, we can't go to Temar's tomb before you're assigned a date for the assassination of the Black Knight, right?"

"That's right."

"Things are going to get slow around here. Tsk."

"They'll probably give plenty of time to prepare for the mission. Killing a Black Knight spy is not a simple assassination, and the clan will also need to prepare well in advance. Once we know the date, let's head to Temar's tomb before the mission begins."

-------------------------------

Jin went to see Jed the next day.

He no longer taught the intermediate class cadets. He was now an instructor for the advanced class cadets.

"I sent the entire group of advanced-level cadets on external missions so that I can pass on the final movements to you." His voice echoed strongly as he spoke in the center of the empty training field.

Jed was still in the advanced stages of his eight-star level, but that was merely an indication of his aura. It didn't speak of the actual skill he could display in combat.

There weren't many nine-star swordsmen who could defeat Jed in combat.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"There are three final movements that I can teach you without council approval. But one of them is suitable for chain swords, and another is suitable for giant swords. Therefore, I will teach you the final movement suitable for longswords."

"Yes, Sir."

Jin had witnessed and faced two finishing movements since his revival.

The third final movement, Meteor Shower, and the seventh final movement, Volcano. Both techniques were extremely powerful.

In particular, the captivating scene that unfolded before his eyes when Luna executed Meteor Shower to kill Andrei still inspired Jin from time to time.

That's why he wanted to learn Meteor Shower first, but I guess that will have to wait until I can defeat all the elders.

Jed slowly unsheathed his sword. "The fourth final movement, Petal Cascade. I will demonstrate it slowly at first, so try to follow the flow of the sword and the aura."

Jed's sword began to emanate light as it was bathed in aura. For now, it was no different from the energy of an ordinary sword.

But soon, he could see the aura around the sword splitting. The concentrated aura started forming small fractures.

It meant that the aura around the sword was weakening. An aura that wasn't concentrated around the sword could break off like debris at the slightest impact, so knights always had to maintain their aura concentrated around the sword during battle.

The aura around Jed's sword continued to open around the fractures. It looked like it would detach from the sword at the slightest touch.

"As you know, such fractures in the aura would hinder its use. Any inexperienced swordsman wielding their swords in this state would drop their aura."

Jed then took a slight step forward. The sword naturally rose in the air, and then Jed brought down the sword with a very smooth but swift motion.

It was like any ordinary vertical slash.

The fragments of aura remained intact on Jed's sword after the slash.

His aura didn't detach, not even as the sword cut through the air. It was as if someone was moving a sandcastle without it crumbling.

"First, you have to be able to wield the sword in a way that the hanging aura fragments remain intact on the sword."

Fwoosh!

The hanging aura fragments were released. It was like petals being released into the air, just like the name of the movement: Petal Cascade.

But each of these aura petals had devastating power. They could easily cut through steel and even the flesh and bones of eight-star martial artists or higher.

Such petals splattered in the air in unpredictable trajectories. If a person had been standing amidst them, they would have been torn into unrecognizable pieces within seconds.

"Could you feel it well?" Jed asked.

Jin nodded.

"The technique, Petal Cascade, is more difficult to master than it seems. Not only do you need to refine the aura, but also master willpower and the spirit of the word. And most importantly, maintaining the aura intact until the required moment is impossible without the blessed body of the Runcandels."

If someone were to forcefully maintain the falling aura intact without the blessed body, even ten-star knights would end up in recoil.

"I'm sure I don't need to explain the aura movement. First, practice fracturing and maintaining the aura intact. Once you've done that, transform each aura fragment into concentrated blade waves."

Jin calmly listened to Jed's continued explanation. But, in reality, he felt a strange déjà vu when Jed fractured his aura.

I'm sure of it. Petal Cascade, the fourth final movement, is based on Cascade, the Legendary Sword Combat Technique.

There were many similarities between Cascade, the Legendary Sword Combat Technique, and Petal Cascade, the final movement. Both required intentional aura fracturing, keeping it intact on the sword, and then releasing it at the desired moment to create waves on the blade.

Of course, the original of the two had to be Cascade, the Legendary Sword Combat Technique.

Jin could even tell which of these similar techniques was superior.

Cascade is certainly superior, apart from the fact that humans without a Light Heart could never use it.

Suddenly, he felt worried.

What if most of the long-awaited final movements were nothing more than inferior copies of the Legendary Sword?

At least Meteor Shower and Volcano are original to the Runcandels, so I guess that won't be the case.

Jed's explanation continued for another twenty minutes.

"That's all. If you have any questions, now is the time."

"Uncle."

"What is it?"

"I'm sure you know that I also wield lightning energy, in addition to being Solderet's contractor."

"Yes, it was widely talked about that you were Peitel's contractor when you went by the name Bamel."

Jin took off his shirt. He revealed the Light Heart in the center of his chest. Jed's eyes sparkled with intrigue.

"I had a fortuitous encounter in my days as a Provisional Flagbearer. As a result, I gained this Light Heart and began wielding lightning energy."

"A fortuitous encounter, you say?"

"I would like to tell you the whole story in detail if you swear to keep my secret, of course."

"What kind of fortuitous encounter would require such secrecy?"

"I can definitely tell you that my story will also benefit you, Uncle."

"Now that you mention it, I'm intrigued. Hmm, very well. I, Jed Runcandel, swear on my honor that I will never speak of it to anyone."

Now it was Jin's turn to explain to Jed the kind of training he had received from the Legends in Lafrarosa. Rêađ lat𝒆st ch𝒂pters on n𝒐/v/𝒆/l(b)i𝒏(.)c𝒐m

Surprisingly, Jed listened with great interest, like a child listening to stories of days past. Jin told him everything, except for the fact that the seventy-seven Legends had been prepared by Solderet for Temar's and Jin's own good.

"So our ancestor also knew the semi-orcs that were said to have gone extinct. It seems like a secret story that hasn't been written in any of the clan's documents. So, are you saying that the technique called Cascade, which you learned from them, is similar to Petal Cascade?"

"I'll show you."

Buzz!

Lightning energy enveloped Jin's body, and Jed couldn't hide his surprise.

The lightning energy gathered in Sigmund, and everything unfolded exactly like Petal Cascade. The energy intentionally split and forcefully remained intact.

"Oh, look at that!" Jed clenched his fists tightly and exclaimed as Sigmund fell to the ground.

The lightning energy followed Sigmund's trajectory and flowed down like a cascade. Anyone could tell it was similar to a cascade of petals.

"Just like you, Uncle, I used the minimum amount of lightning energy."

"Of course, you did. Even Petal Cascade would have destroyed the training field if it had a large amount of aura. But this technique you performed called Cascade, clearly, it is something superior. Well, then I would have nothing to teach you."

But that wasn't all.

In fact, Jin's demonstration made Jed see the limitations of the Petal Cascade final movement. And fully understanding a limitation was no different from saying that one was given the possibility to further improve oneself.

But in Jed's case, he soared even higher.

"Since I cannot reach the Light Heart on my own, I won't be able to mimic Cascade even if I start mastering Petal Cascade again with the inspiration I've gained today. However, I feel like I might be able to enhance the power of Petal Cascade on my own."

"What? You're talking about enhancing the technique, Uncle?"

Just by looking at Jin's cascade, Jed knew he could go beyond mastering Petal Cascade and further enhance it.

"I like it, Jin. I'll consider it a great gift you've given me today. Once I finish enhancing it and gain the approval of those boneheaded council elders, the council won't have any reasons to deny it anymore."

"In that case, it will be your achievement, Uncle, not mine. Enhancing a finishing move is a tremendous achievement, and it will earn you many elders who will respect your opinion of me. But that doesn't mean they'll take away all the reasons to reject me, right?"

Jed smiled at those words. "No, the council won't be able to deny or reject you anymore. You see, this old uncle of yours is going to add your name to the enhanced Petal Cascade."

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章節 123: CHAPTER 282

On February 25, 1799, all the flagbearers who had set out to cheer up the clans under Runcandel's control returned to the Garden of Swords.

They had heard stories about Jin from sources outside the clan while visiting each of their designated areas.

"Hey, brother, welcome back!"

Smack!

Mary abruptly punched Dyfus in the back.

"Oh, you little lunatic... Mary! How many times do I have to tell you to stop greeting me like that?"

"Did anything interesting happen on your journey?"

"How could anything be more interesting than what you did here? I may have suggested it, but I made it clear. You deal with the aftermath."

He was referring to Mary stealing Bradamante and handing it over to Jin.

"Why? You were with Joshua a while ago. Did he tell you something?"

"Surprisingly, no. But that's when it's most dangerous. You know that, right? Be careful for a while."

"I don't know anything about that. Besides, I've never watched my back in my whole life. But come on, stop talking about that. I asked if anything interesting happened during the journey."

Dyfus brought his hand to his forehead. "Yes, I'm the fool for expecting a normal conversation from you."

"So, was there or wasn't there?"

"Yes, there was. On the fourth day of the journey, everyone was talking about Jin."

"Tell me."

"Damn it. Isn't it condescending of you to command me like that, seventh flagbearer?"

"Please, tell me, good sir fourth flagbearer."

"As expected, there were many clans that felt uncomfortable because Jin undermined the tradition and authenticity of the Runcandel clan."

"Is that so?"

"There were some others who congratulated him, saying that thanks to him, the Saints are once again helping Hufester, although they were by far the minority."

"No, I'm not interested in any of that. You know what I'm asking you. Were there any rumors about Jin's strength?"

"Of course. They were talking about comparing him to Dante Hairan. Apparently, some of the nobles from Hufester went to the Cosmos Arena where Jin had participated during his time as a provisional flagbearer. They said the final battle was undoubtedly a spectacle. I mean that fighting competition where you ended up as the runner-up."

"Runner-up? I defeated that guy two months later, so I'm the champion. Look, there are ears listening, okay? Don't spill secrets like that around here. Anyway, Dante Hairan, huh? The world really has no idea."

"What are you talking about?"

"I almost lost to him."

Dyfus immediately stopped. "You're joking, right?"

"Does it seem like I'm joking? Sure, the successor of the Hairan Patriarchy is quite impressive, but he's nothing compared to Jin."

"I think you're underestimating Dante."

"Do you think it's possible for me to lose against Dante?"

Dyfus fell silent for a while.

Certainly, Mary wouldn't have acted this way after fighting Dante. A power similar to Mary's at the age of nineteen? Jin is undoubtedly a beast.

Obviously, Dyfus had expected Mary to defeat Jin. His original image was that Jin would be terribly injured in the process, leaving Dyfus alone with the mission to assassinate the Black Knight.

At this rate, I'm just playing into my mother's hands. Damn it.

The mission to assassinate the spy Black Knight-Rosa had already decided to assign Dyfus with Jin.

Soon, the stewards came to fetch the two flagbearers.

"Madam Rosa has called for a flagbearer meeting."

All the flagbearers immediately gathered in her office.

"We will discuss a single agenda item for this flagbearer meeting. We also discussed it before the Patriarch left. It concerns the assassination of the Black Knight spy."

"Yes, mother."

Tension soared in the brief silence.

"This mission will be carried out by the fourth flagbearer, Dyfus Runcandel, and the twelfth flagbearer, Jin Runcandel. Your mission is to provoke the death of the Black Knight in combat. The mission will take place in the disputed territory of Bentica, near the Kingdom of Mila."

The brothers felt different emotions when the fourth and twelfth flagbearers were assigned to the mission. Some felt relieved, while others felt like they had missed out on something.

Dyfus immediately looked at Jin, but Jin deliberately avoided his gaze.

"A mining area where ancient eversteel was supposed to be found was recently discovered in Bentica. We have received information that the Zipple are introducing the White Night and the Kozec into the area for that purpose. Therefore, we have decided to send a Black Knight, two flagbearers, and ten guardian knights for the mission."

The Runcandels and the Zipples fought daily in skirmishes large and small over land, minerals, natural resources... basically everything.

If they fought over gold mines or common lands, the battle was waged with guardian knights and magicians or through clans under their control.

But when they had to fight over rare goods like ancient eversteel or fairy traces, they clashed with troops and key assets.

This time, the Zipples were sending the White Night and the Kozec, while the Runcandels were responding with their Black Knight spy along with two flagbearers and ten guardian knights.

"The two flagbearers will confront the Zipples along with ten guardian knights and the Black Knight spy. And you will make sure the Black Knight spy dies at the hands of the enemy in battle."

This was an incredibly difficult mission to accomplish.

Assassinating a Black Knight itself was an achievement, but they had to induce a discreet death.

The only reason they had to go to such lengths to kill a Black Knight was because of the clan's reputation. It wouldn't look good if it was known that they killed a Black Knight by fighting against a force weaker than the Kozec.

"Only a few within the Zipple clan are aware of the Black Knight spy. Intelligence tells us that Keliac Zipple, Octavia Zipple, and three high-level elders are the only ones who know about it."

This was the main reason the Runcandels were preparing this massive charade of the Black Knight assassination mission.

The White Night didn't know that the Black Knight was a Zipple spy.

The Runcandels assessed that if the Black Knight was seen obliterating the White Night right up until the moment of his assassination, the Zipples would no longer bother trying to make more Black Knight spies.

And there was a clear incentive if everything went according to plan—it would effectively make the Zipples fall for their own tricks.

"And of course, after the death of the Black Knight spy, you must defeat the Zipple forces and secure the mine. Failure to achieve either of the two objectives will automatically result in failure for this mission."

A brief silence followed.

The flagbearers were certain that this was by far the most difficult mission assigned to any of them in the past two years.

"The mission will commence on March 8th. Make sure all preparations are completed within that timeframe. Fourth flagbearer and twelfth flagbearer, if you have any requests or complaints about the mission, now is the time to present them."

"Negative."

"Please tell us the name of the Black Knight spy." ViiSiit n𝒐velb𝒊/n(.)c/(𝒐)m for l𝒂test 𝒏𝒐vels

Dyfus and Jin spoke at the same time.

Jin didn't have access to all the clan's files with his privileges as the twelfth flagbearer. He needed access permission from at least the fourth flagbearer or higher to obtain the personal data of the Black Knights.

"Barton Vichena. I'll give you detailed documentation on the target, so take a look."

He hadn't heard the name before. Therefore, he couldn't gain any advantage in his fight against Barton Vichena from knowledge of his past life.

"Thank you."

"This is a mission that the entire clan has put a lot of effort into preparing. I hope the fourth and twelfth flagbearers bring us successful results. That's all. You may leave."

The flagbearers left the office.

It was strange.

For some reason, Joshua didn't make any moves against Mary, who had recently stolen from his armory, or against Jin, the beneficiary of her theft. He simply walked out without looking at them.

Luntia yawned a couple of times before returning to Rosa's office. She didn't mean anything by it. She just went back to retrieve the documents she had left inside.

Miu and Anne didn't bother Jin either. Ran and Vuigo exchanged several glances with Jin and Mary, but that was it.

The Tona Twins awkwardly paced back and forth around Jin, as they did the last time, before returning to their rooms.

"Do those adorable fools try to fight against you like I do?" Mary asked.

"Probably not."

"Well, it's good to know. Jin, I'd like to give you some advice."

"I'll be fine, thank you, Mary."

"No, I'm not fine, that's why. Try to work with Dyfus on the Black Knight assassination mission as much as possible. Even if it's just for the sake of the deal you made with me."

Mary estimated that Jin was incredibly strong. But she still didn't believe he was powerful enough to take on a Black Knight, especially in such a complicated mission.

"Imagine how boring my life would become if you ever died or got injured. You see, the only thing holding me together these days is thinking about how I'll fight against you in three months when spring comes. Now I'm leaving for you two to talk, alright?"

Mary left. Jin and Dyfus were the only ones left in the hallway.

"Mary is right, Jin." Dyfus spoke first.

"What do you mean, Dyfus?"

"I mean we should work together. I'm aware that you consider all your brothers as enemies. But this is an important matter. Even Father himself strictly mentioned that we should abstain from rank wars for the time being."

"So, are you offering that we train together until the mission begins?"

"Yes."

"I reject the offer."

Dyfus shrugged. "And why is that?"

"I'm confident that you can complete the mission on your own without me nearby because I personally believe you're the strongest among the brothers aside from Luna."

"Really?"

"And I also don't think you're the selfless type to give me credit for the mission. So why should I train with you? I'd just be used as bait or cannon fodder anyway. It would be a waste of my precious time."

"Well, that wasn't my intention either. I just needed something to say when Mary asks me about it later."

"It seems you care a lot about Mary."

"Perhaps more than Luna cares about you. So, Jin." Dyfus paused and continued calmly. "I hope you don't kill or disable Mary in those fights you'll have every three months."

"Is that a warning?"

"No, it's just a request, from one person to another. I'm sure you, more than anyone, understand what I mean."

Jin and Dyfus's gazes clashed. They weren't filled with killing intent or a fighting spirit, but a mysterious tension filled the space between them.

"Do you realize that requests usually come with a price?"

"Tell me what you want."

"Don't lower the class of the Runcandels."

His cold words were spoken out of disappointment.

Dyfus's eyebrows twitched.

"It's unbecoming of the Runcandels to make requests to the enemy. I'll turn a blind eye to this incident since I also have brothers I care about, but if you show such actions again, I'll no longer classify you as my enemy, Dyfus."

Jin turned around.

Dyfus remained lost in thought until Jin was completely out of sight.

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