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What Midor Elnor pulled out looked like a cube a little smaller than a fist.
Looking at the object, Midor's face was full of anticipation. The cube had a blue color that seemed to be deafening.
Midor's face was filled with anticipation as he gazed at the item. The cube emitted a bluish light that seemed to be adorned with engravings.
'I can finally avenge my elder brother Myuron...!'
Myuron Zipfel.
Something welled up in Midor's heart when he recalled the life of his brother who had died in agony.
Midor had been unable to comprehend the fact that Runcandel, who killed Myuron, was thriving, but Zipfel had not been taking the revenge he deserved.
Fwoosh, click...!
Midor injected mana into the cube, and the blue color became deeper. It was such a bright light that it stood out for a moment even under the black storm of shadow force awl.
'What is that blue light?'
Jin was also checking the blue light of the cube from a distance.
'I don't think it's a magic spell. An artifact?'
Jin couldn't see it clearly because of the black awls. However, at first glance, it was clear that it was a type of artifact that he didn't know.
He also had a forbidding. In this situation, Jin was also displeased with Midor's sinister expression, as if he would burst out laughing at any moment.
Midor had an expression when someone showed off their trump card.
Murakan also narrowed his eyes at Midor's appearance.
[There are always fools in every era who are eager to hasten their death.]
"Puhuh, hahaha!"
Midor suddenly leaned back and burst into laughter. The cube in his hand floated in the air with each side open.
"The 12th flagbearer of Runcandel, Jin Runcandel, and the Black Dragon, Murakan! I've been waiting for this day when I can soothe elder brother Myuron's soul with your dirty blood...!"
[I can't let you have your way. Disappear.]
Aaaah-!
Murakan shot a breath in the direction of Midor and the mages of Zipfel.
It was a breath filled with strong emotions and anger, more powerful than disintegrating the strongest warrior of the White Wolf tribe with only an ankle left.
In addition, the shadow force awls were sprayed along the trajectory of the breath, and it seems to have the size that reduces the mountain range to dust.
Murakan and Jin were the only people in this place who could fully block this breath. The moment the breath hit Zipfel's side, Midor and the surviving mages had no choice but to open their eyes wide in surprise and cautiously react.
"Oh, it's still opening!"
"We have to block the breath...!"
The elders who shouted urgently were swept away by the breath and turned into black particles without even finishing their words.
Then, the other mages squeezed out all their strength to cast a protective shield, but it was too much. Murakan's breath was mercilessly trampling down Zipfel's defense line.
The breath was like a war wagon rolling down a steep hill, crushing dozens of houses before coming to a halt.
Murakan's casually exhaled breath only stopped after reducing about thirty elders to dust and shattering the protective shield formed right in front of Midor.
Midor's excited expression, full of laughter and anticipation, was gone now.
Midor was simply staring wide-eyed, with sweat pouring from every pore on his body. The confidence he had by activating the cube has already been crushed.
'...… Is this really a breath he can shoot without any warning or preparation?'
It seemed like he had miscalculated something. This gut feeling stabbed Midol's heart like a knife.
He was actually feeling it when the black awls started to rain down. He was questioning whether today was truly the right moment to take revenge.
It was already impossible to recalculate things. Murakan was even more enraged at the sight of Midor surviving from his breath. His pride was hurt.
[Block? Uh, You block it? It is crazy, right? Ha, you. You bastard, you are pissing me off.]
As a result, Murakan's tone went slightly beyond his usual comments, but the enemies felt more afraid because of that. A powerful figure with an unpredictable and capricious demeanor was always terrifying.
Whoops!
Murakan took a deep breath this time. He had gathered strength to exhale the breath.
The shadow force awl, which had been pouring out without a sound, died down in an instant. This was because he was adding the shadow force that was used for black storm of awls to the breath.
The ground where the shadow force awl stopped, resembled a barren and desolate testing ground for mana cannons. There was no flat ground left, and the remains of those who had lost parts of their bodies rolled on the ground like dust.
The members of Vermont barely held on to their senses and organized their formation, and the beastmen of Kinzelo were completely devastated, and were bursting into tears while urinating and defecating haphazardly.
On Zipfel's side, only trembling Midor and a few of the elders remained.
And in front of Jin, Sandra Zipfel regenerates herself.
Clung, cling, the sound of spinning gears felt noticeably slower than before.
'It's more impressive than the authority of time just by looking at this.'
The authority of time was indeed remarkable, but as far as Jin knew, it was impossible to recover to this level after certain death. Even Cuicantelle cannot restore her body that had been disintegrated.
'This is the power of the Demon God's orb and living golem. It seems clear that the two are being used together. If Zipfel can continue to make people like Sandra...'
Jin suddenly recalled a memory from his past life.
The mirror, the fountain of mana.
In his past life, Zipfel continuously produced 7-star mages called mass production mages after getting the Colon's mirror. And they were later used to further solidify Zipfel's solo dominance over the world.
Sandra's regenerative power was nothing compared to the mass produced mages of his past life.
Could this be related to my regression?
Could the fact that my regression stimulated Zipfel and had a profound effect on their research direction and results? So, has Runcandel in even more disadvantage now compared to then?
It suddenly occurred to Jin, but he soon shook his head.
'No, now that I think about it, Zipfel couldn't have dominated so much with just mass-produced mages. No matter how many people have 7-star mana, they can't handle 9- or 10-star individuals properly.'
The mass production mages at that time would have been just the beginning or material for making a 'weapon' like Sandra Zipfel.
'At that time, mass produced mages were a tool to propagate Zipfel's solo dominance externally, and in reality, mages like Sandra Zipfel would have been mass-produced to fight battles that were not exposed to the media.'
Since they didn't get the mirror in Jin's present life, it's likely that the living golem research was much delayed compared to the past life.
Even assuming that, Zipfel's living golem had already reached this level. Sandra was regenerating even if her whole body was cut to pieces dozens of times.
'I don't think what I am seeing today are all the secrets of Zipfels ...'
The cube gleamed brilliantly.
Jin was intensely curious about what it could be that made Midor show so much confidence. Even though his momentum had been somewhat broken after the breath attack.
"You…. Bastard…..Stop, that's….only….."
Sandra, whose face had partially recovered, was the first to speak.
Midor was listening to it clearly. They could hear each other's breathing in the silence that fell after the shadow force awls stopped.
However, Midor pretended not to hear Sandra's orders and took control of his fears.
Just thinking like this.
'Yes, I can win. Let's not be afraid. Today is undoubtedly a day I can drink the blood of our enemies from the Golden Goblet.'
There is no reason not to do so with my elder brother by my side.
Midor knelt down and raised both hands in a polite gesture. As if he had become a believer calling on God.
That was Midor's own ritual, completely unrelated to the 'complete opening of the cube'. It was his way of welcoming and showing respect for the elder brother he had finally reunited with.
Hwaaaaa.....!
Light gushed from the fully opened cube like water. The light flowing from the cube surged through the surrounding space like waves.
Dark and ominous blue rays of light seemed to be painting the space.
It was a strange sight for everyone, except Zipfel, and they had never seen something like this before, even for Murakan, who has lived for 3,000 years.
'The light is forming something... Ha, this is madness.'
Jin, who watched the cube's light progress for a while, had to suppress the curses that came up in his throat.
The first thing light formed was a human being.
It's Myuron Zipfel.
"Elder brother, welcome...!"
Midor raised his head and looked up at Myuron with twinkling eyes.
Before Jin knew it, Myuron had taken on a physical form composed of something with texture and weight, more like a substance rather than just light.
However, he was not a fully alive person unlike the time they met in Colon.
His skin was dark blue, like an old corpse, and the skin had been peeled off in some places, revealing bones, teeth, and internal organs.
Also, Myuron was not the only thing that the light of the cube formed.
Ship.
Zipfel's ultimate weapon, a battleship that symbolizes the catastrophe in the sky.
A battleship similar to Kozec was also forming behind Myuron.
The blue battleship was rather larger than Kozec, and exudes greater majesty from its appearance alone.
The battleship contained numerous mages formed by the light, ready for combat.
In other words, a battleship with a massive army of Zipfel was formed in the middle of the island out of nowhere.
The shocking scene left everyone speechless, their rationality overwhelmed by the surreal display. Even Jin was left with his mouth agape, his pupils quivering in disbelief.
[Ah, the air is so refreshing, Midor.]
Myuron finally opened his mouth and spoke in a benevolent yet dignified voice.
Midor's face was filled with excitement, as if he might cry tears of joy any moment. He felt the conviction that he could now repay his enemies and be recognized by his father.
The thrill that had started with this certainty made his whole body tremble uncontrollably. He even felt foolish for ever doubting the power of his elder brother and the strength of his battleship and army.
[And it's been a while, Jin Runcan...]
[Oi, I was watching for a bit, just to see what crazy things you'd come up with this time. But this what you are showing me, What a bummer!]
It was then. Murakan let out the breath he had gathered.
Aaaaaaah-!
A shadow force that was incomparably denser than the black awl that had been just pouring down, was rushing towards Myuron and his army.
Midor and Myuron hadn't even thought that his breath could destroy the battleship.
Thus, they initially planned to defend against the attack and then continue their assault once breath was cleared. However, in the next moment, the battleship formed by the light was shattered in the easiest way possible.
It seemed like paper was burned with fire and it disintegrated instantly. Murakan's breath pierced through the center of the battleship, and completely destroyed it.
Creak! Boom, clank! Tsssk!
The sounds of the ship breaking were unreal to Midor and Myuron, and it all felt strangely peculiar to them.
[You damn bastards, you had the audacity to latch onto something as substantial as this.]
Murakan just snorted with disdain.
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'Huh...'
'What is happening…?'
Myuron and Midor had to endure an unfamiliar sensation, as if something were escaping from their bodies, a sensation akin to the soul or spirit escaping the body.
It was utterly surreal.
The battleship just destroyed in one breath, no. No, to call it "destroyed" was an understatement. What kind of battleship could have been reduced to mere "dust" in just one breath?
It was a mass-produced battleship modeled after Kozec, Zipfel's ultimate weapon, nicknamed as "the power that can destroy the world".
Although it was a mass-produced battleship, even the developers of Kozec affirmed that this battleship has more than 50% of the Kozec's maximum performance. It wasn't something that could be easily manufactured en masse.
In other words, it was a battleship that should never have been destroyed so vainly. 'Kozec-2 Myuron' was a battleship created to dominate the world.
Thud, crash, snap...!
Now, the debris of that battleship was raining down.
Moments ago, it was a downpour of black awls, and now it was a shower of shattered fragments of the battleship. The countless broken pieces of the battleship stained the air black like a swarm of insects.
In reality, if Myuron and the passengers had been fully prepared from the beginning and had been able to activate their protection shields as soon as they appeared, the ship wouldn't have been demolished to such an extent.
'My, my...battleship...…! My Kozec-2 Myuron!'
It was smashed to pieces.
The bluish eyes of the battered Myuron were tinged with a faint red.
Did the battleship just break?
The ship was completely obliterated, but that wasn't all. The fragments falling like rain contained not only the battleship's materials but also the flesh and bones of the hundreds of mages who had been aboard.
Kozec-2 Myuron and its mages were making their 'resurrected' debut today. But their debut match was against the very Jin and Murakan who had killed Myuron.
There couldn't be a better debut stage than this, but the results were so devastating!
[What? Are you crying? Is that bastard really crying right now?]
Murakan raised one eyebrow and narrowed his eyes.
The distance between Murakan and Myuron was considerable, and the debris obscured his vision, but it seemed like there were glistening tears at the corners of Myuron's eyes.
"Elder brother! Elder brother Myuron!"
Midor desperately called out to Myuron in a hoarse voice.
Thanks to that, the already collapsed dignity and atmosphere became even more ridiculous, but it was not the time to be ashamed of such things.
"Elder Brother, you have to hold on to your reasons, Elder brother Myuron!"
[Ah.]
[Ha, show me something before you lose your mind. Especially you! You died and came back to life, so shouldn't you do something to entertain Lord Murakan?]
Murakan snorted, as if finding Midor's words absurd.
And Vigo and the knights of Runcandel were once again misunderstanding the situation.
It was because they did not know that the performance of the Kozec-2 myuron was inferior to that of the original.
It's a matter of course. Kozec-2 Myuron and the cube that summoned it had just been unveiled to the world for the first time.
'What! He destroyed Kozec with one breath?'
'Kozec?'
'No, that battleship was bigger than Kozec. Who in the world can destroy Kozec like this.….my father is the only one who is capable of such a feat.'
The members of Vermont were also thinking the same thing as Runcandels.
In retrospect to common sense, it was impossible to destroy a battleship of Kozec's caliber in one breath. Unless it's the world's only genesis knight, Chiron Runcandel.
Rumors of Murakan's battle prowess were taking this ridiculously huge step.
[Ha, that. He didn't seem like a person who'd sob and wail like that back then. Isn't that right, kid.]
Jin didn't answer, but fixed his eyes on Myuron, Midor, and the cube he was holding.
It wasn't that he didn't answer, it was that he couldn't. Unlike Murakan, and just like all other factions. Jin was also speechless.
However, it was not because of Murakan's battle prowess like other factions.
There were facts that everyone was overlooking due to the shocking sight of a battleship being destroyed with a single breath.
First, the resurrection.
Myuron was resurrected in a way without using Numerus' tears.
'Myuron's resurrection must be thanks to the power of the Demon God's orb, just like Sandra's regenerative power. I kept feeling uneasy because we couldn't secure Myuron's corpse due to Zipfel's reinforcement at Colon.'
The resurrection of Myuron was possible after the production of the 'New Demon God's orb'.
Luna had destroyed Zipfel's first Demon god's orb when Myuron's corpse was first recovered by Zipfel. The very Demon's God's orb that Andrei Zipfel had.
-Zipfel would have promised you eternal life, the ultimate power, or something like that. And you must have witnessed the evidence of it with your own eyes.
-I think it's probably the Demon god's orb. I myself have seen the dead resurrected and gained tremendous power by that strange object. It was a miraculous power that anyone would covet.
-By the way, Sir Barton, you know what? I've already experienced the Demon God's orb being shattered by Runcandel's sword. Even my father knew of the existence of the object. So don't dream of anything. The death you face today is complete. Resurrection, eternal life, such vain things won't happen.
Jin suddenly recalled the words he said to Barton Vicena during the mission to assassinate the black knight.
In fact, the resurrection itself was not so surprising. It was because he had already experienced how Demon God's orb saved Vyuretta while fighting Andrei when he was a reserve flagbearer.
What really surprised Jin was the existence of the 'cube' rather than resurrection.
'What the hell is that cube?'
It didn't seem like a Demon God's orb. It was unlikely that Zipfels would give Midor such an important item. And it looked completely different from what Andrei had.
'It can be said that it has been improved and has a different shape, but it does not have that creepy feeling at all. Above all, Murakan doesn't seem to be reacting much to that object either.'
The Demon God's orb arouses instinctive fear in dragons. Murakan showed immunity when fighting Andrei, but Cuicantelle was unable to fight as soon as she saw the Demon God's orb.
In that case, the answer was simple: "Advanced technology, a new weapon of war."
The operating principles of the solid cube were unknown, but its intended use was very clear: summoning.
'It's a kind of transfer gate. It is incomparably smaller than current transfer gates and has greater performance. Perhaps it's an item so remarkable that it exceeds my imagination and guesses.'
None of the transfer gates currently in use could accommodate this amount of people at once. Even more so, it was impossible to move a giant battleship.
His heart began to race suddenly.
Before his eyes was a sample that symbolizes the world's number one, and Runcandel's greatest enemy's 'best unseen technology'.
'Maybe the fact that Joshua and the top flagbearer of other factions went to a place other than the Gaifa Islands might have something to do with that technology.'
If Jin could have it, it could have been a greater harvest than Amela (who became a potential ally).
[He keeps whining. Ugh, it's annoying to look at. Just stop and die, it's getting on my nerves.]
Whoo-!
Murakan gathered his breath again, intent on killing Myuron, Midor, and the remaining mages.
"Stop, Murakan!"
[Ahem!]
Murakan, who was about to exhale his breath, coughed suddenly and shut his throat.
[Ahem, why all of sudden?]
Jin was already rushing to Midor with a glint in his eyes.
"Shit, damn it!"
Midor screamed and shot a spatial explosion to prevent Jin from coming closer.
However, the spatial explosion could not easily penetrate Multa's runes and shadow force armor. The Jin that Midor met in Colon and the Jin now were completely different beings.
Midor also worked relentlessly to become stronger for revenge, but their vessels and willpower were fundamentally different. It was an insurmountable gap.
"I never forgot the pain you caused me in Colon, Midor Elner."
Sak!
Bradamante drew a diagonal trajectory. A quicksword against which even martial artists who reached 9-stars could not react leisurely, so a mage like Midor could only flinch once.
He had been blocking Murakan's attacks all the way, causing his mana to run dry. He couldn't raise his protective shield properly, and he couldn't muster any counterattacks.
The elder brother he trusted was in a panic, muttering to himself even though the enemy just passed him and swung his sword at his younger brother. Midor is completely worn-out.
Fit-! A fountain of blood gushed out.
Midor's right arm was severed, and blood gushed from his chest. A cube with an eerie bluish glow was floating in the midst of the droplets of red.
Ice-attribute mana enveloped the cube.
'There must be a security measure in place, prepared for data leaks.'
It was as expected. Just as Vermont's Majin's oxidized without leaving a trace.
In the case of the cube, it was designed to explode. It sensed the imminent threat and was ready to detonate to protect the sensitive information it contained.
Hmm!
Jin planted Bradamante in the ground for a moment, he used his two hands to grasp the cube. He used his frost seal to envelop the cube, attempting to allow the explosion but maintaining its overall shape.
There was a roar in his hands and in front of his chest. It was an intense explosion, as if all of his fingers and chest bones were shattered even though he had a blessed strong body and shadow force armor.
When Jin finally released his grip, the cube was shattered and in disarray, but most of its components remained intact.
'With this level of damage, it can be analyzed sufficiently with the help of the best researchers in the world.'
Satisfied, he involuntarily smiled.
Midor, on the other hand, was agitated, and he glared at Jin as his hair stood on end.
"Myuron, you damn bastard! How can you call yourself a Zipfel with that kind of incompetence! It's a pity that I've lived all these years coughing up so much blood to avenge you!"
Chuck!
Midor raised the staff in his left hand, a magic tower master's staff with rune characters that emitted light to call the reinforcement, and pointed it at Jin.
"You wanted to kill me, right? Fine, Jin Runcandel. Do it. But my revenge won't end today."
Midor thought that Jin had made a 'mistake'.
Driven by his desire to obtain a sample of the cube, he failed to anticipate the activation of the Magic Tower Master's Staff.
But the reason Midor was able to activate it was because Jin had intentionally left his left arm.
"It seems that you, Zipfels, take death too lightly because of the high-speed regeneration and resurrection. But, Midor Elnor, do you really think I did something stupid?"
Jin said as he strode towards Midor.
"I don't know if you have more of these cubes, but isn't it too slow to call the main force with that staff? By the time they arrive, I'll probably be home, taking a warm bath and having dinner."
"If it weren't for Talaris that day, you...!"
"If you ever appear in front of me again, I will take it as proof that Zipfel can resurrect without a body. So let's not meet again, Midor Elnor."
Snick!
Jin beheaded Midor as he spoke.
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Thud, Midor fell forward. Now, the only people left on Zipfel's side were Myuron, Sandra, and seven elders.
"Magic tower master...!"
"Sir Midor!"
The elders cried out.
But there was nothing else they could do.
Now there were no hidden secret weapons, or reliable means left.
There was no way out. Whether they fought or not, all that lay ahead of them was death.
So, fighting bravely and perishing in battle was the right thing to do, but the elders couldn't take their feet off the ground.
Just looking at Jin, whose eyes were shining behind the black helmet, made them feel like their whole body was weighed down with fear.
It wasn't just a feeling. In reality, the elders were exerting all their strength to withstand the aura Jin was emanating.
'Myuron Zipfel.'
Jin turned his gaze to Myuron.
Only then did Myuron seem to regain his composure. He stopped muttering words meaninglessly out of fear, and his eyes were focused.
'I didn't expect to see his disgusting face again.'
Jin thought so and controlled his anger. He clenched his teeths while thinking of the atrocities Myuron had committed in Colon, but that was not a sight he should ever show to him.
The daily lives of the Colonists, whose vocal cords had been severed by Myuron, were still filled with silence. Their deceased family members still had not returned.
Kick...
Myuron touched his forehead and shook his head.
[Well, I've shown a shameful appearance, haven't I? I whined and stiffened like a frightened dog.]
The sight of Myuron crying in fear until just now was gone, and Myuron's eyes were now filled with madness.
[I didn't know you would become such a remarkable knight, Jin Runcandel. Back then, even both of you couldn't face me together.]
Jin continued to approach Myuron without responding, recalling one thing Myuron had said in the past.
-You probably think I'm crazy, don't you? But Jin Runcandel, you seem to be wearing quite a good expression even though I can't see it behind your helmet. You and I are of the same kind. I also like fighting.
These were the words Myuron had uttered during the height of the battle in Colon.
'The reason he said that back then, was probably because he was in a position to look down on me and acknowledge me.'
Jin had already seen through the person named Myuron Zipfel from that moment.
A pure-blood Zipfel who indulged in alcohol every day, once known as the "Madman of the Magic Tower," but later disgraced and known for his heinous acts.
All of his actions stemmed from a sense of "inferiority."
The disappointment of not being able to become the Zipfel patriarch, the humiliation and jealousy he felt towards his more accomplished siblings, and the bitter conviction that he could never rise to true greatness.
If I couldn't raise my reputation, I wanted to shine with notoriety.
That was Myuron's greatest desire as a human being. It was the only means through which he could hide his inferiority from others and express it from within.
A monster driven by the desire for recognition.
There was no better word to describe Myuron Zipfel in a single phrase. That's why Myuron always hoped for his name to be remembered by people and whenever he had the opportunity, he sought to "acknowledge" others.
If he acknowledges others, it becomes his own virtue.
The more magnificent and splendid the opponent was, the stronger this tendency of his became. Myuron felt that he was at his greatest and most exhilarating when he acknowledged shining individuals.
Acknowledging Midor, who was ignored by everyone, and gaining his blind trust from a young age, and telling Jin that you are the same as me were all in the same context.
[Now, are you going to kill me? Or torture me? Cooking me alive and feeding me to those red bugs you saved wouldn't be a bad punishment. Do as you wish; you will be the victor once again…]
All of this could not be a punishment for Myuron.
No matter how cruelly he was killed or how much he was tortured, Myuron would eventually achieve victory on his own terms.
He would believe that he had successfully controlled Jin's actions. He would think that he had manipulated Jin to hate him.
Knowing this fact so well, Jin intentionally refrained from saying a single word to Myuron, who had come back to his senses.
[Oh, Tika, was it? That wretched girl who ruined my show. Is that little bitch still alive? If not for her, the situation might have been a bit more interesting…]
Myuron's stopped talking.
His eyes, which had recently regained focus not long ago, began to tremble rapidly, and the reason was simple.
It was because Jin had just passed by him.
[...Where are you going, Jin Runcandel?]
At this point, Zipfels had lost their value of death.
The death held little fear for Zipfels in most situations as long as there was a means of resurrection
This was especially true for people like Myuron.
That's why Jin chose the most effective punishment for him.
His pride.
Peeling away the layers of lies that adorn one's unsightly self.
[Where are you going? Answer meeeee!]
Jin couldn't suppress his laughter after passing Myuron by about ten steps.
Naturally, Myuron, lost in his own madness, didn't hear it.
[Stop, stop, I said stop!]
Chiiing!
Blue flame appeared in Myuron's eyes.
It was Zipfel's vision magic, the Gaze of Azure flame, that he had used in Colon as well. That magic spell couldn't stand up to Jin even when he was a reserve flagbearer. It was immediately extinguished under Tess's real blue flame.
And even back then, Myuron thought when he saw Jin summon Tess: That Runcandel fetus… is going to be the greatest mage of the century? You're going to surpass me without my permission!?
Myuron felt like something exploded in his head when the memory of that time surfaced in his mind. He wanted to die immediately from the humiliation and inferiority that pierced through his entire being.
Chiiiiing...!
Following Myuron's gaze, the Gaze of Azure flame produced blue flames on Jin's back. However, the flames merely extinguish repeatedly and leave no more than a slight scorch on Jin's shadow force armor.
The Shadow force Armor was part of the strengthened Bradamante, which included a part of Tess. Therefore, Myuron's vision magic spell couldn't harm Jin in any way, even though it was his most powerful magic spell, excluding the dark magic.
[Bu-burn, burn, bu-burn, bu-burn to death, or ki-kill me...! Sto-stop!]
The true face of inferiority is indeed this ugly.
Most of those who were looking at Myuron in this situation were so ashamed that they could not open their eyes. Even amidst the chaos that had just occurred, they were tormented by Myuron's despicableness.
Some even felt sorrow and sympathy beyond shame. They involuntarily clicked their tongues at his wretched misery.
Pssst, shhh...
In the end, Myuron's vision magic did not leave any traces on Jin's shadow force armor. He continued to cast it until his mana was completely depleted, even though the mana backflow had begun.
Myuron was panting heavily and all the blood vessels in his eyes burst. He was shedding bloody tears.
A dignified Black Dragon. And the members of the imperial family, the few remaining elders of Zipfel, the beastmen of Kinzelo, and the knights of Runcandel, who were in awe of and looked up to Murakan.
In the middle of all that, he could clearly see the steel-like back of a man, who had simply walked past him.
For Myuron, it felt like a symbol. It seems like all four major factions are looking up to Jin...
'Do you... think... you've already... seized... the era...!'
Kahak!
Suddenly, Myuron coughed up blood and bent forward. The mana backflow had begun.
Cough, cough, blood was gushing out of my throat without stopping.
[Hahaha….hehehe... turn... around... You... you can't... ignore me… and act... pre-pretentious... like that...!]
Cough!
Myuron felt a cold, sharp sensation piercing through his back. It was a dagger. Sandra Zipfel, who has just completely recovered, screamed.
"Hey, seriously! How can you be this slimy? Myuron Orabeoni, not to anyone else, but to my lover!"
Sandra spoke as she pulled out the dagger.
Myuron wasn't shocked by Sandra stabbing him. Even though he knew he was about to take his last breath, he continued to fix his gaze on Jin's back.
Please look at me.
Jin Runcandel, acknowledge me. It shouldn't be that difficult for you...
Now, his voice was gone, and he couldn't scream like that anymore.
Myuron was facing his second death, within the truth and disgrace of himself.
Jin confirmed that Myuron had completely stopped breathing and finally turned around.
Sandra narrowed her brows as she brushed away her brother's blood from the dagger.
"Sorry, Jin Runcandel. My orabeoni can be a bit much sometimes, right? By the way, I wanted to kill that bastard who disrupted our legendary first date. What should I do if you take my kills away?"
"..... You seem truly insane, unlike your brother who just died."
"No matter how much we love each other, we should still keep our boundaries. Don't do this again next time."
Then, Sandra looked at her severed right arm and shrugged her shoulders.
"A right arm...."
She nodded as if she was calculating something for a moment.
"I think it's just about right."
"What do you mean, 'just about right'?"
"I feel it's a bit too early to give away everything I have. A right arm is neither too much nor too little. We're just on our first date."
Jin got goosebumps.
"I will make good use of it."
"Please do so. But when can we meet again?"
"Well, it's better not to see each other if possible."
"Couples should meet often."
There was no need to continue the meaningless conversation. Jin ignored her final words, looked at Lata and Faye, and then walked towards Vigo.
The Proch siblings immediately stuck close to Jin, ready to follow his orders, and Vigo flinched as he tried to read Jin's mood.
He was worried that maybe Jin would remind him that the Murakan had just ordered him to leave immediately and he might be reprimanded for still standing here.
"Sir Lata, Faye. I entrust the clean-up to you. Keep about five witnesses for Vermont and Kinzelo and eliminate the rest."
"Yes, my lord."
"Understood!"
"And elder brother Vugo."
"Uh, uh. The youngest."
"Just in case, why don't you lend a hand as well?"
Vugo inwardly sighed with relief. Jin had shown this consideration without undermining his dignity.
".... I will help."
"Thank you. I'll see you at the Garden of Swords when you return."
Jin said as he climbed onto Murakan's back.
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Only fifteen people remained in Gaifa Archipelago when the main unit of the Zipfel Magic Tower and the reinforcements from the main house arrived.
Five people of Zipfel, five members of the Vermont Imperial family, and five beastmen of Kinzelo.
The rest were killed by Proch siblings, Vigo and his knights.
Members of the three factions had already lost both their strength and fighting spirit, so they couldn't stand against Runcandels and the Proch siblings.
Vigo had considered capturing Sandra Zipfel in the process.
But "Murakan and Jin just went back," he made a very wise judgment and decided that he should not capture her.
He remembered the fact that this was a situation where he had to respect the position of a flagbearer who, although lower in external hierarchy, had a much higher practical ranking.
He thought that he should not ignore the decision of the guardian deity of the clan and a flagbearer whose actual rank was much higher than his, although lower in external hierarchy.
"Vigo Runcandel, right? Hahaha, he must have wanted to capture me, but he made a pretty smart decision."
Sandra chuckled as she sipped the fruit juice in front of her.
She was in the commander's room of the battleship Kozec. The other pureblood Zipfel members who had been organized as a rescue support team had naturally moved to other places when she took over the commander's cabin.
"Vigo would have died today if he hadn't given up on capturing me. Hmmm, if it had turned out that way, I wonder if my Jin would have been sad? Jin didn't seem particularly close to him."
"Hoo."
The old man sitting across from Sandra let out a frustrated sigh. He was the second-class butler of Zipfel, named 'Hedo.'
Hedo was also a muscular man who did not fit the image of the world's most famous magic clan's butler. His bulging muscles seemed to express his very disgruntled mood.
"Young lady, you should have fought back properly even after Jin Runcandel left."
"Is that so?"
Sandra's completely carefree attitude, seemed to be turning Hedo's insides upside down.
"I don't know about Vigo doesn't know, but if the Proch siblings had died, my Jin would have definitely been sad, Hedo. You should think about that much. Jin and I are in love, you know."
Hedo shook his head.
The fact that Sandra was a very eccentric young lady had been known to him better than anyone else for a long time.
But suddenly, love? Romance?
'Moreover, she fell for Jin, of all people, the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel. What kind of joke is this from the heavens?'
There had never been such a situation before.
However, one thing he was sure of was that, no matter what the reason for suddenly falling in love with Jin, Sandra would never let go of her feelings in the future.
Hedo had seen Sandra Zipfel for a long time, and she was that kind of person. A completely spoiled brat, an incredibly uncompromising human!
It wasn't a matter that would end as a simple love affair or fleeting romantic emotions. It was difficult for Hedo to suppress the tumultuous feelings.
"...And, young lady, that arm. Are you really going to leave it as it is?"
"Yes."
"You can heal it, right? Why on earth would you leave it as it is?"
"I can commemorate my meeting with Jin every time I see my severed right arm."
"Young lady, you're right-handed. You've done everything with your right hand all your life..."
"I can eat with my left hand from now on."
"It will definitely be inconvenient, very inconvenient."
He was at a loss for words as he tried to control his anger.
"Heheh, it's okay. It's all for love!"
Chiiik!
Hedo took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. One cigarette was burned down like a fuse as he took a deep puff, and a cloud of smoke escaped outside the commander's room when he exhaled.
Hedo felt a bit more at ease after smoking five cigarettes in an instant, and soothed his urge to shout and curse.
Hedo combed his hair back and met eyes with Sandra.
"...Alright, I understand. But what about the technology leak? It's quite likely that the right arm of the young lady, as well as the space-time device that Jin Runcandel took, will become a problem."
Dealing with the former issue was relatively simple. Sandra's sealed right arm would have come back if she tried high-speed regeneration using the authority of time instead of normal healing.
'But the young lady won't heal her arm until the recoverable time has passed.'
Although the latter is equipped with a safety device to prevent technology leak from the 'space-time device'.
Hedo was not inclined to trust such technology. He remembered the scholars and technicians who had been shouting that there was no way it could leak because they had prepared a surefire prevention measure. The thought made him feel incredulous.
"Yes, that's right. But Hedo..."
"Please, go on, young lady."
"I have to do that so that my lover competes with our clan, no. At least it becomes something like competition, no?"
Sandra said, smiling mischievously as she continued.
"There is literally a gap of egg and rock between my Jin and our clan. So I just thought giving him that chance wouldn't hurt."
"I see, there's a deeper meaning to it."
Hedo nodded as if giving up. Sandra found his reaction quite amusing and burst into laughter for a while.
"Hedo, you understand me, right?"
Soon, Sandra stopped laughing and looked at Hedo. After a brief pause, Hedo replied.
".... Yes, of course. I'll do my best to explain to the patriarch."
"As expected, there's no one like Hedo. Hehe."
***
The land of the beastmen, the headquarters of Kinzelo.
"Ahhhh! Ahhh! It's painful, too painful! I feel like I'm going insane! Aaaah!"
Bubare Gaston has been suffering for several days, complaining of his pain and crying out in bizarre agony. Whenever he contorted his body and let out a scream that sounded like a pig being slaughtered, his bobbed belly swollen grotesquely.
"Bring more painkillers, quickly!"
"Rather just kill me!"
The medical staff and beastmen who were barely holding on to Bubare were sweating.
Berakt, Margiella, and Cold Joe watched from a distance.
"Haah, I thought we were on the verge of achieving the great cause. How did things get this bad with so much bad news piling up...!"
Joe clicked his tongue and said.
"Shut up, Joe. As if I'm not frustrated enough, listening to your annoying voice makes me even more frustrated."
"I apologize, Sir Berakt."
"I told you to shut up. Don't say a word. If you don't want to be eaten alive."
Joe turned his head away with a mouthful of curses.
Bad news.
As Joe said, recently Kinzelo had been going through days filled with bad news.
The leader fell ill after using more power than expected during the time of the Sword Emperor Castle's terrorist attack. And as if that wasn't enough, Zephyrin went wild on her own, causing further strain on the leader's body.
And this time, it was Bubare's turn.
Although almost everyone in Kinzelo, excluding someone like Margiella, despised him, Bubare Gaston would play a crucial role in achieving the great cause.
The reason why Bubare was suffering so much was because of his 'fusion' with Amela.
The process of releasing the fusion was not smooth, causing damage to Bubare's soul and chaos.
If the leader was in perfect condition, he would have quickly sorted this out. But for now, Bubare was just relying on painkillers.
To persuade Amela, Kinzelo decided to highlight the fact that they had more information about "chaos" than any other faction.
As a result, Kinzelo's best warriors took some of Bubare's chaos when they went to Gaifa Archipelago, in the form of a sculpture.
The result was a great success.
Amela was extremely satisfied once she realized that chaos could merge, creating even more powerful abilities.
She felt as if she had obtained a clue about the chaos that she had been searching alone for a long time. From then on, Amela did not even negotiate with other forces at all. It was because someone had spoken to her through the chaos of Bubare.
"If you join me, I will tell you everything you want to know about chaos..." The voice was strangely trustworthy.
"The leader even sent a message to Amela with his exhausted body. She showed a stance that she would kill our warriors after the negotiation was over, saying that we still have to pay for bothering her, but I decided to endure that."
Crack, Berakt continued to grind his teeth as if he was going mad.
In the treatment room on the other side, five warriors of the White wolf tribe and the Red Tiger tribe who had returned from the Gaifa Archipelago, were receiving treatment.
"But now Amela is dead, our warriors are massacred, the survivors are completely insane, and Bubare is in that state! We didn't get anything and only suffered severe damage."
How should I accept the fact that the center of all these bad news is Jin Runcandel? Berakt couldn't fathom it.
Margiella, who was also listening to him, wore a rare dark expression.
"I'm sorry, mister Berakt. I honestly didn't expect Sir Jin to be so uncooperative."
"You don't have to apologize to me, Margiella! I said that because I am frustrated. The leader's condition is constantly at risk... so something needs to change, don't you think?"
Berakt shrugged his shoulders, pointing to a map on the table.
There were various marks on the map, representing Kinzelo, Runcandel, Zipfel, and Vermont, indicating strategic points for their operations.
Berakt spoken while pointing to a point on the map where many marks were gathered.
"What should we do if, by any chance, Jin Runcandel causes trouble here and starts meddling again!?"
It was the location where the 'thing greater than Amela' is at stake, as Jin expected in the Gaifa Archipelago.
"At that time..."
Margiella paused for a moment.
"At that time, I will seriously consider whether Sir Jin is the right person to be with us, mister Berakt."
"Yes, you need to consider it."
"I hope Sir Jin doesn't know what's happening here. If he continues to obstruct us, he might truly become our enemy."
"Hmm!"
He didn't expect Margiella to accept this calmly, so Berakt cleared his throat as if embarrassed.
In reality, Berakt had no other choice but to agree with Margiella, even if she insisted that she was always right and expressed her displeasure.
"Well, he probably doesn't know. If he did, he would have gone there first, not to Amela."
"That's true, mister Berakt."
"By the way, it's a shame that our vice-leader can't witness Bubare's condition. He would have been delighted to see Bubare suffering like this."
"Yes, he would have been very pleased. But mister Berakt, you know that mister Bubare is our friend, don't you?"
***
Meanwhile,
Runcandel's Black Knight, Dox McRolan, was infiltrating the southern region of Huphester, Rikalton, to carry out Jin's orders.
And while he was checking the basement of Rikalton Execution Ground, he noticed a strange and horrific phenomenon.
'What on earth... is this?'
475
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Dox McRolan saw countless humans. To be precise, it could be described as a kind of "tower" formed by countless humans.
It seemed to be at least a dozen feet high.
The bodies of humans that made up the tower were grotesquely twisted and folded, resembling large bricks.
Dox had experienced many battlefields where blood, bones, and flesh intermingled, but he had never seen a tower built from humans like this.
Hu…
Dox involuntarily held his breath. The toxic stench of decay and stench was so terrible that it felt like his lungs were rotting. He also felt nauseous, making it hard to endure.
'They're alive.'
All the humans who had become the bricks of the tower were alive.
Their waists were bent completely in the opposite direction, their necks twisted, and their bodies folded into square shapes to form the bricks, yet they were still breathing.
Grunt, squish. There were the sounds of humans barely exhaling from the various parts of the tower. With each breath they took, the tower expanded slightly and then sank back down.
And their pupils.
Countless pupils were blinking. Some pupils simply opened and closed without focus, while others seemed to do something as they shifted their gaze.
The latter were all trying to look at Dox.
'Is this some kind of ancient dark magic? Or perhaps a rite for divine possession? Either way…'
This was happening in Huphester, in the backyard of Runcandel.
Of course, this place was an "execution ground." Most of the humans used for the tower were likely to be serious criminals, but even so, this should not have happened.
Dox doesn't care how the prisoners die, but this would defile the land that worships combat skills and struggle.
-As soon as you recover, head to the city of Rikalton in the southern region of Huphester. And investigate the truth of what is happening in Rikalton.
Dox recalled the words of the 12th flagbearer.
'Even a Black Knight like me knew nothing about Rikalton. The 12th flagbearer has lower access to records than I do, so how did he find out about this place?"
The 12th flagbearer possessed an information network that exceeded expectations.
Naturally, he could reach such a conclusion. In reality, Jin discovered this place by chance from the story Emma had told, rather than Tikan's information network.
However, that wasn't a particularly important issue. What was truly important in Dox's mind was how many people within the clan knew this fact.
'And who owns this facility and what is their purpose?'
The Patriarch, acting matriarch, chief of black sword association, and top flagbearers.
That was the limit to how many people could have possessed a facility of this size. Chiron and Luna were out of the question from the beginning, and the chief of black sword association had recently lost his influence.
'If it belonged to the chief of black sword association, someone in the Elder Council would have exposed this facility to gain an advantage.'
The remaining possibilities were the acting matriarch and the top flagbearers.
'It is highly likely that it's a work of Madame Rosa, and the 2nd flagbearer..."
The 3rd and 4th flagbearers wouldn't have done such a thing. Until recently, Luntia had been living like someone who had given up on the world, and Diphus couldn't do anything because of Mary.
On the other hand, Rosa and Joshua were different. Above all, Rikalton belonged to Joshua.
'After the 1st flagbearer gave up the throne, Madame Rosa showed an obsession with the 2nd flagbearer that was sometimes incomprehensible.'
And how all those around the 1st flagbearer were killed and taken over in that process, was a well known fact to all the Black Knights.
'When the 12th flagbearer chose Barisada during the Selection Ceremony, there were reports that the acting matriarch and the 2nd flagbearer were in contact with mage who was good at curses. They said it was just a circumstance.'
His head was growing hot.
It was because he remembered that the senior knight, who mentioned this, was retired not long after due to an injury during a mission.
I was naive. It was by no means a typical injury, and Dox shook his head.
'Still, I have to report back to the 2nd flagbearer. I will personally confirm if this place truly belongs to him and report to the Patriarch…'
The moment Dox thought that far.
Gahahaha, hahahaha-!
Suddenly, laughter echoed throughout the human tower. It was the voices of the human bricks that formed the towers. Dox readied himself and assumed a defensive stance while preparing to draw his weapon.
"Ahahaha!"
Then he heard a woman's laughter. Dox had an intuition that the owner of this voice was the manager of this facility.
Step, step.
The woman was walking among the human towers.
She was the Prophet.
"Now, a riddle for the foolish intruder."
The Prophet stopped.
Her face wasn't visible, concealed in deep shadows, but she didn't seem to have a large build, and she gave off a fairly young impression.
"What are you doing here?"
Dox stared at her without answering. Even though he felt vulnerable, for some reason, he couldn't extend claws towards her. His body had stiffened, much like prey encountering a predator.
A Black Knight of Runcandel stiffened.
"You foolish child! You don't seem to understand at all. Well then, here's the next riddle!"
The Prophet extended her open palm.
Huuung...!
A black energy gathered above it. The power of Solderet, the shadow force, spread from the Prophet's hand.
"Whose place is this?"
The Prophet smirked, and Dox felt as if he'd been struck on the back of the head with a mace. Looking at the shadow force, he thought that the Prophet was closer to Jin than to Joshua.
"I am the subordinate of Jin Runcandel, contractor of Solderet. So, if Runcandel's Black Knight is here without permission, you'll have to pay the price."
"..... I came here under the orders of the 12th flagbearer."
"Ahaha, if that's true, my master is playing another wicked trick. In any case, I can't just let you go. Surrender quietly. I'll have to confirm it with my master. I'll kill you if you resist."
Hahaha, the human bricks in the towers laughed in agreement with the Prophet.
Dox's body wasn't in the usual state. He had come to Rikalton in haste to settle his debt with Jin, without a full recovery.
'I can't win in this condition.'
Dox turned around as soon as he made that judgment. The Prophet seemed disappointed when Dox started moving.
"Tsk, that's no fun."
When the Prophet reached out her hand, a purple beam shot out. After seeing that purple beam pass by him and graze his shoulder, Dox couldn't help but think of the Black King Mountain Hideout.
'This power, it's similar to what Zephyrin used!'
A chill ran down his spine. He had never experienced such a crushing defeat as he did that day after living as a martial artist.
The purple beams struck him again. He managed to dodge or deflect most of them, but a few beams got through.
And it was unfortunate that the beams he missed were targeting vital points. They were moving toward his heart and throat, which meant certain death.
Strangely, as death drew near, the face that came to his mind wasn't those of his companions in Runcandel, but someone he hadn't thought of at all.
So, just as he was about to call out that name in his mind...
"Dox, snap out of it!"
Clang!
Someone deflected the beams aimed at Dox's heart and throat.
***
"...That's all, Your Majesty."
The Imperial Palace.
Latz, wrapped in bandages all over his body, reported to the Emperor. The imperial family sent so many people to the Gaifa Archipelago, but only Latz and the four others that Jin had deliberately left behind returned.
Even those five came back with severely damaged bodies. Latz, in particular, could no longer do his duties as a leader of the special forces division. He couldn't even perform ordinary movements anymore.
Unlike Jin, the Proch siblings had no qualms about making their enemies as miserable as possible, regardless of their personal feelings.
"It's a shame that the great mercenary Amela died... Haha, but it's quite a gain."
The Emperor's first words after Latz's report was about the "gain."
The first "gain" was none other than the information about Zipfel's living golem and the Demon God's Orb.
'Zipfel's living golem technology seems to have superior effects compared to our Majins, they are using authorities of gods without being the contactors.'
He shuddered, and a shiver ran down his spine. The power that Zipfel, the greatest in the world, possessed always filled the Emperor with reverence.
"Myuron Zipfel must have been resurrected with the help of that Demon God's Orb for sure!"
The Emperor stood up, exclaiming in admiration.
Ever since Jin was a reserve flagbearer, no. Even before he was born, the Emperor had always been curious about the name of that object. It was the name of the orb that the great Zipfel had longed for.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Based on the circumstances, it seemed that Sandra Zipfel's high-speed regeneration and Myuron's resurrection were phenomena caused by the Demon God's Orb."
"Undoubtedly, there will be a price for that. Moreover, it is probably stronger than Majins, but there must be limitations to mass produce these living golems."
The second gain the Emperor had in mind was information about Jin and Murakan.
"Jin Runcandel."
The Emperor smiled as he thought of Jin.
Although their first meeting was disappointing, the Emperor never underestimated Jin's abilities. However, he had a conviction that someday, those who sought "friendship" in the battles of the major factions would naturally disappear.
The recent report from Latz on Jin and Murakan's battle prowess made him think that they might become a variable like "Chiron" in the future. It was a slim possibility, but still.
'Is it the unique confidence of people like Chiron Runcandel or White Whale? You knew that all information about Zipfel would be reported to me... Why did you bother to send Latz alive, Jin Runcandel?"
Is this a provocation? Or is it a sign that this information is not so important? In any case, the emperor felt uncomfortable with the sense that Jin is 'looking down' on him.
The emperor burst out laughing lightly.
'Well... My discomfort is nothing compared to the pain you will soon feel.'
A smile tugged at the Emperor's lips.
Sword Emperor castle.
The Emperor was suddenly curious about how Jin would react when Hairan's home, which is slowly being restored, collapses once again.
Hairan was in an isolated state like an abandoned island after the terrorist incident at the Sword Emperor castle.
Zipfel constantly pressured Hairan, and the imperial family didn't protect them. The dignity of the Sword Emperor was needed more than ever, but Ron was gradually reducing his external activities.
With rumors circulating that Hairan could fall as is, the Emperor was determined to make those rumors a reality.
"I can't wait to see how that tough guy values his friendship."
The emperor muttered to himself and organized his thoughts. The Emperor was unaware of the fact that Zipfel was pressuring Hairan more than necessary lately largely because of Jin.
"Latz."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I will give you a new mission. As soon as your body transforms, investigate Ron's movements."