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Jin's hand, holding onto red hair, was shaking slightly as he walked into the cave.
On the outside, Zephyrin was also roughly tidying up things. In the first place, the knights attached to her did not have the anti-air ability to deal with a dragon like Zephyrin.
"Hmph, that unlucky demon dragon is strong, it seems it's almost over. If Hedo do well, would you lose?"
"It's not over yet, Sandra Zipfel."
"Really? It looks like things have been sorted out."
"Reinforcements are on their way."
Sandra tilted her head and looked at Hado as if asking what he meant.
"What do you mean? 12th flagbearer."
"Focus, Tower Keeper. At first, I thought that the energy of chaos was concentrated only near the cave, but as soon as the battle began, I could feel the faint energy of chaos coming from far away."
Hedo, who closed his eyes once and raised his senses, immediately showed a look of surprise.
He could sense an extremely faint energy, as small as a tiny bug hidden in a field, but he was sure it existed without having to search for it. It was an energy that could never be detected without focusing, especially in a blizzard in the Kaldran snowfield.
"You... sensed it without even focusing?"
"I've been able to feel chaos more acutely for a while now. It's not just one place, the energy is coming from all over the snowfields. They'll probably be here within an hour. And there will probably be more reinforcements behind them."
If he could sense such a faint energy of chaos from over an hour away, then the scale of the presence would be enormous when they met face-to-face.
"Tower keeper, can you tell Zephyrin about the situation?"
At those words, Sandra's eyes lit up like a flashlight.
"Go quickly, Hurry up! And come as late as possible."
Her eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of being alone in the cave with Jin, as soon as Hedo left to inform Zephyrin.
Besides, Jin was walking very slowly. Of course, it was because he wanted to carefully explore the cave in detail after Valeria disappeared. However, Sandra decided not to think about that and instead focused on the fact that she was alone with Jin.
"Come to think of it, this is the first time I've walked with Jin alone. It's so nice...?" Sandra said.
But Jin was too focused on observing the inside of the cave to even hear her. After a while, Sandra grabbed his shoulder and asked, "Is the person we're looking for very important to you?"
"Yeah. Why are you asking such an obvious question?"
"It may not be her hair. So don't be too impatient."
"I'm sure it's her hair," Jin replied.
"How can you be sure?"
"Because it's a rare color."
Of course, Valeria is not the only one in the world who has red hair. However, Jin clearly recognized that it was Valeria's hair, and it was something that was difficult to explain in words.
"Will you come to rescue me too if I get kidnapped somewhere in the future," Sandra said.
"It depends on the situation," Jin replied.
"That's very cold of you, but I forgive you because it's cool. But I believe you'll come to rescue me anyway," Sandra said.
"I don't want to go through something like this again. So always stick with the Tower Keeper."
Sandra was moved to tears, while Jin continued to observe their surroundings.
'I still don't see anything out of the ordinary, as Ronil said...'
The cave wasn't very deep, and even after a few minutes, Jin hadn't noticed anything noteworthy.
From then on, Sandra stopped complaining and instead began to meticulously search the cave for Jin.
'There is still energy of chaos because the knights have been residing there, but since Valeria disappeared, the Garden of Swords has not made any additional changes to this place.'
Despite this being a land where an important figure disappeared, they only arranged for personnel, without making any changes.
The meaning of this fact was clear.
"It seems like Runcandel... no, the Garden of the Swords is being very cautious about this place, darling. Even though Hister disappeared, they didn't dig up the ground or demolish the walls. Even the icicles are still intact. They must be hundreds, if not tens of years old."
"I was also thinking the same thing."
"You said that the tomb of the first patriarch of Runcandel is a subspace, right? I think they were looking for a way to enter that subspace. If Runcandel knows it is a subspace."
"It is quite possible."
Eventually, when they reached the end of the cave, Hedo, who had gone to tell Zephyrin the news, returned.
"Why are you back so soon! It was just starting to get peaceful and quiet, but you're as oblivious as a musclehead."
"Everything has been sorted out over there, and Zephyrin said she will scout accurately first. She also said that if possible, she would delay or annihilate any reinforcements that arrived."
"Alright, Tower Keeper."
If Zephyrin did that, it would add more time for the additional troops to arrive, but it was difficult to gauge how much.
At the end of the cave was a chamber filled with a transparent ice-like substance, with no part of it broken and reformed.
"Big brother Ronil was right, there's only one way out of here, either go back the way we came or break through the ice wall...I see now why the Hister survivor couldn't be tracked down by my clan."
Even after Jin and Sandra continued to search for any remaining traces of mana in the cave, they found nothing special. The blue window displaying the record magic that Ronil had seen was also gone, which was expected since the wizard was no longer there.
'Valeria was out of contact for about two months before she disappeared from here...and left no clues about Temar's tomb either.'
Valeria was most likely in a desperate situation where she couldn't even make contact with Tikan during those two months. And she disappeared suddenly from this very spot, with a slightly shaved lock of hair.
'... Sir Ronil didn't get to face my teacher properly, but it's certain that Rosa's knights fought with Valeria.'
Valeria would have searched for this cave after escaping from that battle. Ronil would have pursued her, and so would Luntia.
Even after combining all the information from Ronil, the incident became increasingly unclear.
Already more than ten minutes had passed.
"12th flagbearer, I think it's a trap. Rosa Runcandel must have expected you to come here."
"Perhaps."
"In that case, she should have placed more troops or prepared to ambush us when we entered, or even appeared herself. It feels like Rosa Runcandel is purposely giving you time."
Jin nodded, as he had been considering this possibility all along.
"As the tower keeper said, Temar's tomb is assumed to be here. She must have waited, assuming that I have a way to get there."
Suddenly, the image of Padler Runcandel flashed through Jin's mind.
'There's a high possibility that Sir Padler is the guardian of the fifth tomb. However, if the prophet took Sir Padler out of the tomb, she must have entered the fifth tomb at least once.'
But why is Rosa giving me time as if she wants me to find this.
'Is it because Valeria is still inside the tomb? Maybe the prophet who came out of the tomb for some reason doesn't know how to go back in.'
The problem is that even Jin doesn't know how to enter the tomb. It wasn't like the first tomb, where there was a key or a guide.
Time was passing incredibly fast.
"The 12th flagbearer."
"Speak, Tower Keeper."
"We won't be able to come back here. If it becomes clear that there's no other way, Rosa will completely block this place. So, how about we try something they haven't done and leave quickly?"
"Are you suggesting we destroy the cave?"
"Yes. It seems like there's no other option."
"We won't destroy the cave. Even if we go back today without any harvest, we don't want to eliminate any reason to come back later."
"So, are we just going to stay like this? We need to be rational."
For Hedo, it was more important not to put Sandra in danger than to find Hister.
Especially in a situation as hopeless as this, it was even more important.
"Hedo! You said she's someone very precious to Jin. Think of something more drastic!"
"I think it would be better to stay put, my lady."
Hedo was right. If they couldn't harvest anything, they needed to go back as soon as possible and reconsider their search.
"I'll try one last thing, and if it doesn't work, we'll go back."
"Good idea. What's the plan?"
"I will fill the cave with shadow force. If there is no response, we will withdraw without further delay."
Jin sat upright and released his shadow force. When using the key to the first tomb in the past, Murakan also injected a large amount of shadow force in this way.
'Perhaps the shadow force itself is the key to responding to subspace. Please open...…!' Jin thought, but in reality, if shadow force was needed, Valeria's entry into the tomb would not have been possible.
Jin was just grasping at straws. Shadow force quickly filled the inside of the cave.
However, even when Jin released a massive amount of shadow force in an instant, there was no response.
Watching from the side, Sandra bit her nails and turned her head to Hedo.
"Can't you do anything else, Hedo?"
"I don't think there's anything I can do, my lady. I'm not a shadow force user."
"Then pray! Don't just sit there!"
"....You mean pray?"
"Yes, sincerely. Ask for help to find Hister, Jin's friend."
Sandra closed her eyes and clasped her hands. Seeing her, Hedo let out a deep sigh and took the same pose next to her. He wanted to know what this was, but he couldn't help it because it was obvious that if he didn't do it, there would be another commotion.
And then, the shock came when Jin felt a sudden blow to the back of his head.
'Suddenly, shadow force is being absorbed into one place...!'
It is the first time that a change has occurred.
Jin immediately moved his gaze to the place where shadow force was converging. It was where Sandra and Hedo were praying side by side.
"Hedo! Your sword! The sword is shining and making something, heaven has answered our prayers!"
"I am seeing it too, my lady. What the hell is this...…."
Jin had a strong intuition that Hedo's sword was the key to Temar's fifth tomb.
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The light extending from the blade of the Bale was gradually changing into a 'door'-like shape. The speed at which the door formed was exactly proportional to the infusion of shadow force.
Sandra trembled with excitement, believing that this was the power of her wishes, while Hedo looked at his sword and the door in a daze.
'... Is it true that Bale is related to the old Runcandel or Solderet, as Black Dragon Murakan once said?'
Hedo's sword had the word "Bale" engraved on its blade, which he had obtained by chance a long time ago.
-You...where did you get that sword?
-You are asking a strange question, Black Dragon. And from those who have experienced your battle prowess on the Gaifa Islands before, I've heard that it wasn't quite like this.
-Keep that sword safe. It seems to be something related to this Murakan. Let's go, kid.
When the group first met Hedo at the White Tower, Murakan suffered a brief headache upon seeing Hedo's sword, as if a forgotten memory had surfaced.
Even after escaping the Sota Desert, Murakan continued to try to recall memories related to the sword Veil, but failed every time.
Because of this, the party assumed that Hedo's sword was also an object whose history was manipulated, but of course no one could have imagined that Bale would become intertwined with Temar's tomb in this way.
"I don't know what the reason is. You used a large amount of shadow force when fighting with me in the past, and there was no reaction at that time."
"It's probably because the positional condition of Temar's tomb wasn't fulfilled. It seems that the sword is the key to opening the tomb. Where did you get that sword?"
"I obtained it by defeating a monster in the Black Sea when I was young."
"I'd like to hear more details about that later. Anyway, thanks to your sword, we have hope, Tower Keeper. Thank you."
Coincidence, it was close to pure coincidence that Jin brought Hedo to the Kaldran snowfield this time. However, Jin thought that if his sword had a story about Runcandel, it might not be a coincidence, but fate.
"12th flagbearer. When the portal is complete, you intend to enter it, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm going in too!"
"No, my lady."
"You can't go, Sandra."
Both Jin and Hedo spoke at the same time.
"Why not!?"
"We don't know what might happen inside. If Hister's survivor is alive, she may have gone in there and never got out."
"I agree. This is a different issue from when we came to the Kaldran snowfield. If this door leads to Temar's tomb, we can't predict what will happen inside. It could mean that escape is impossible."
"What about you, Jin? You are Rosa's only opponent. What if you go in alone and die?"
"Temar's tomb is a tribute my god and ancestors left for Runcandel. I've been wandering around these tombs and have never been in danger. Also, I could always escape through the shadow force whenever I wanted."
Of course, this was a lie.
Jin had almost died at the hands of guardians in most tombs, and in the fourth tomb, he didn't know how to get out and had to wait endlessly with Valeria.
However, since Euria was not here now, Sandra had no way to confirm the truth. Even if it were confirmed, Jin planned to go in alone.
"We can't wait here during that time. We don't know how long it will take or what the situation will be, so we need to think about what me, my lady, and the demon dragon should do."
"Based on my experience so far, I could return to the human world within a day or two."
"We can't wait here for that long."
"I know, so please go back. As long as Rosa doesn't come in person, I can escape in any situation."
"I won't leave you alone!"
"Sandra, please."
First and foremost, although Jin grew quite close to Sandra, she and Hedo were clearly Zipfel's people. Jin couldn't bring them into Temar's tomb.
"Still, you can't go alone. Even if it were friendly before, this tomb might be hostile to Jin. Hedo and I can be helpful. Besides, just opening the door has exhausted Jin like this."
When the door was fully formed, Jin felt a great sense of exhaustion, just as Sandra had said. Jin consumed all of his shadow force just by opening the door.
'I think the amount of shadow force used is several times greater than what Murakan used in the first tomb.'
Although Jin had aura and mana, he couldn't fight with full force if he met a tough opponent inside.
"And what about Runcandel's 3rd flagbearer!? It's a problem even if there's a 3rd flagbearer not Rosa when you come back. You have to deal with the 3rd flagbearer alone in a tired state, right in the middle of enemy territory."
Runcandel 3rd flagbearer, Luntia Runcandel.
Ronil said she led the pursuit team herself and chased after Valeria, but they hadn't seen Luntia yet. The group speculated that she might be among the reinforcements that were expected to arrive.
As Jin tried to enter the door, Sandra threw herself in that direction first. Hedo immediately tried to stop her, but soon realized that there was no need.
Tung-!
"Ugh!"
A shockwave occurred as Sandra approached the door, causing her to bounce back.
"Damn, what is this...! Hedo, see if it bounces you off too."
The same thing happened to Hedo when he tried to approach with superhuman strength. As soon as he touched the door, he could no longer move forward, as if blocked by a wall.
"I have a feeling there might be trouble with the door if I go any further, my lady. Give up."
However, Jin did not experience the same phenomenon at all.
"The 12th flagbearer."
Jin looked back at Hedo.
"If possible, stall for at least three days inside the tomb. That way, we can return and request help from Kinzelo."
Hedo concluded that using the leader's dimensional portal was the best option for now, and Jin immediately agreed.
"Understood. Please make sure to do so."
"Also, when we leave the tomb, if we return to this cave, release as much energy as possible. We will use that as a signal to request that the leader open the dimensional portal."
"Despite your appearance, it seems that your brain processes information very quickly, Tower Keeper. It sounds like a good idea. That would give me more peace of mind."
"I will put Orgal on standby as soon as possible. Good luck."
"Jin!"
As Jin was about to enter the door, Sandra hugged him and said, "Remember this, if by any chance only your companion returns alive to Tikan, I will do whatever it takes to kill that person."
Jin's head immediately throbbed with the realization that Sandra wasn't joking, but he still smiled and replied, "I'll keep that in mind."
As soon as Jin entered the door, the light forming from Bale disappeared.
Sandra stared blankly at the spot where Jin disappeared for a while, and Hedo patted her on the shoulder.
* * *
In the fifth tomb of Temar, the darkness was so thick that it felt like being in the abyss of Glyek.
"Valeria!"
Even when Jin shouted Valeria's name, there was no echo.
Jin didn't feel the same sense of comfort he had in the other tombs, and he wondered if it was because of his anxiousness or something else.
'Unlike the tombs that I went through in the past, there is no sense of shadow force guiding me. There are no traces of damage by Zipfel or other forces. Is there another reason?'
He had no choice but to explore the tomb himself.
[Myaah!]
Shuri emerged from the ruby and Jin immediately began searching the vast desert of the subspace on Shuri's back.
The flow of time in the subspace was different from that of the human world. Jin had experienced that time flowed much faster in the human world.
'Where are you, Valeria...!'
After about an hour of searching with no progress, Jin began to feel anxious.
Then, Shuri stopped walking and pointed with her front paw.
[Mya, myaah!]
There was something transparent that shone like glass, emitting a faint light that was about to go out. Jin could recognize that it was a fragment of mana that took the form of a window.
It was a piece of "Record Magic."
'These are the traces left by Valeria...!'
Jin's heart began to beat rapidly.
Record Magic was not only used to find past records but also to leave markers like this.
'It's either very old or was left in a state where almost no mana remained, given how faint the trace is.'
Above all, the fact that the magic remained meant that the caster is still alive.
Only then was Jin able to take a deep breath for the first time.
'She isn't dead. My teacher definitely remains in this subspace.'
Jin's heart was filled with the belief that he could save her. However, as he followed the direction indicated by Valeria's mana fragment, he felt an unpleasant energy approaching instead of Valeria's magic. It was a pure and enormous chaos energy, qualitatively incomparable to what he had felt in the Kaldran snowfield.
As he approached the source of the chaos, the Subspace showed not only desolate darkness but also traces of battle. There were cracks and distortions all over the space, as if they were caused by destructive swordsmanship.
Eventually, Jin came face to face with a woman who was not Valeria.
[It's been a while...… my youngest brother.]
It was Luntia Runcandel, his second sister.
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Jin's eyes widened.
"Elder Sister... Luntia?"
Jin couldn't even imagine encountering Luntia here instead of Valeria. The excitement that had arisen from finally finding Valeria's trace turned into unpleasant anxiety like rancid oil.
"Why are you here, elder sister?"
Luntia's beloved sword, Charles, was glistening with black chaos. Jin could only stare at his second sister like a person who had lost his mind for a few seconds.
Luntia also looked at Jin silently for a while. It wasn't easy to read what emotion was contained in her black-stained pupils.
On other hand, Luntia was clearly recognizing Jin's emotions.
[You don't seem to like it, the fact that I appeared in front of you right now.]
Jin repeated Luntia's words and involuntarily lowered his head. A very strange and terrible pain, which Jin had never experienced in his entire life, was scratching Jin's inside.
The grief of losing a family member.
That's exactly the kind of pain it was.
Jin already expected that Luntia would be stained by chaos. However, Jin had hoped that she wouldn't be completely encroached by chaos.
Looking up again, Jin stared at the black horn on his sister's forehead. She has already crossed a river of no return.
"I trusted you, elder sister."
[Was there ever that level of trust between you and me?]
Luntia had never been close to any of her siblings. She believed that only Luna gave meaning to her life. Winning against her sister in competition, or even losing and following her for the rest of her life, was all she wanted.
So, when Luna voluntarily gave up her position as the next patriarch at the age of nineteen, Luntia's world became a meaningless, colorless existence.
It was 1799 when Luntia started to hold fire in her heart again. It was the very day when Jin made the patriarchy declaration.
The event between Jin and Luntia at the time was far from an act of brotherly love. They fought with their lives on the line until one of them fell.
Moreover, the two of them did not have a long conversation after the incident.
-I, too, will become patriarch.
-I thought there were only idiots, but there is a real one. Let's do our best, elder sister.
That was all, but Jin felt a deep bond had formed between him and Luntia at that moment.
They had lived like strangers all their life, but with just one fight, Jin felt that they had become siblings with the same dream.
Luntia felt the same way. That's why, before going to Laprarosa for the third time, Jin believed that Luntia would keep the Prophet in check.
"Did Rosa and the Prophet find your weakness?"
There is no way that Luntia accepted chaos voluntarily. Jin was convinced that Rosa and the Prophet's wiles had defeated her.
In response to his words, Luntia smiled like a crescent moon and clenched her horns tightly.
[What difference would it make if I said yes?]
"There must be something I can help you with."
[Haha... are you really the 12th flagbearer I knew? You're talking nonsense. Wake up, Jin Runcandel. My youngest brother. I stand here as your enemy.]
Luntia slowly raised Charles and aimed it at Jin.
[It means your only task is to fight against me. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, the moment when I can fight you again.]
Luntia's black eyes, which were hard to read all the time, harbored a glint of bloodlust.
Demon heart's madness.
Although she seemed capable of conversation, Luntia was completely consumed by chaos. Her deep and intense hatred was already piercing Jin with the tip of her Charles.
Jin decided to control his emotions. He couldn't fight an opponent while overwhelmed by sadness, pain, or any sense of guilt.
It was an inevitable fight. Therefore, it was right to end it as quickly as possible, even for the sake of Luntia. To save Valeria, who might have suffered from Luntia's attack.
Gradually, Jin's eyes became firm. Luntia nodded her head as if satisfied with Jin's determination.
[Yes, that's more like it. But, youngest brother, you... You seem quite tired.]
Cheoong-!
Suddenly, Luntia thrust out her sword, and Jin stepped aside.
At the time of the patriarch declaration, it was thrust that put Jin in danger of death from the first blow. Luntia's sword achieved a much higher level of enlightenment than at that time.
[Nevertheless, you have become mysteriously strong again. Thanks to you, my boring fate will be a little more enjoyable. When I first fought you, I also had many limitations. I think it was the price of that time that you reached me while you were tired.]
Despite being stained with chaos, Luntia had not lost her transcendent and indomitable dignity, just like figures such as Stam or Padler or Rosa.
The starting aspect was that Luntia was pushing Jin. Her sword left cracks and sharp afterimages in the dark space, surrounding Jin with them.
'She's strong. Even more so than Lionel Runcandel.'
In some respects, she was even more difficult to deal with than when Lionel and Stam cooperated. It was because she 'ruled' this sub-space beyond the size and level of her power.
The trajectory of Charles' attack was not straight. Whenever Charles moved, the dark space twisted and turned in a random pattern, following Luntia's will and constantly changing its trajectory.
It seems that he was dealing with the entire subspace, not Luntia, and Jin quickly realized this fact.
'Is that why, I didn't feel as if the shadow force was guiding me when I first entered this place, unlike other tombs. Because Sister Luntia had already taken control of the entire tomb?'
Drops of blood flowed from the four or five open wounds. As a Jin, he only sustained that much injury while understanding Luntia's and the dark space's characteristics.
Fuzz!
A ray of blue lightning energy spread from Sigmund and tore through the chaos sword. And the two of them unleashed the clan's secret technique at the same time.
The 5th secret technique, Light Speed Thrust, enhanced with lightning energy, chaos and each individual ability. As they reached out with their swords, it seemed like they would pierce each other's chest.
However, the two of them had already predicted each other's swords and were stepping back to their respective sides accordingly.
The entire subspace was divided in half. The two swords, stretching out and passing each other, struck the emptiness at the edge of the subspace.
Luntia looked at that edge for a moment, while Jin did not.
[Do you remember? On the first day when I faced your lightning energy, I protected countless knights from you. I'm still fulfilling my role of protecting the clan from you.]
"... How did you get in here?"
[Isn't that obvious?]
"I know the Prophet played some trick, but this space was originally prepared for me. It's hard to understand why Solderet's subspace treats you as if you are its owner."
[It is as you say. However, I think there are other things that you are really curious about.]
"Hister, after defeating you, elder sister, I will look for it myself."
[You suspect that the red-haired woman is still alive.]
"You don't have perfect control over this space, elder sister Luntia. Did you not know that Hister's magic was still present in subspace?"
At those words, Luntia narrowed her eyes.
[Oh, that's quite interesting if it's true. If there is still magic present, it means the caster is still alive somewhere. I knew that the woman was hiding somewhere in this place. I was confident she was dead by now.]
"Is that because you inflicted significant damage to Hister, elder sister?"
Luntia nodded.
[That's right. If that woman was still alive, it would likely be the result of accepting chaos. She wouldn't have survived if she didn't have an exceptional healing ability.]
Jin didn't react sensitively to those words.
"That won't happen, elder sister. If that was the case, the magic I saw should have already been tainted with energy of chaos. Anyway, thanks to you, I'm even more convinced that Hister is still alive."
[Now all that's left is to defeat me and save that woman?]
Having said that, Luntia was showing her displeasure for the first time.
[You and elder sister Luna always think that way. You always believe that you can defeat your opponents and take what you want, no matter what the situation is.]
"That's always been the case. There won't be any difference this time."
The subspace began to vibrate in response to Luntia's anger. Jin couldn't tell if her sudden outburst was simply madness or if there was another reason behind it.
Jin decided to regain his composure. Luntia's words did not hurt him. Because none of these words are spoken by the 'real Luntia Runcandel'.
Even Ron Hairan had resented Jin in the abyss of Glyek.
"I will soon stop the madness that engulfed you."
Aura gathered in Jin's illuminating heart.
'Prolonging the battle is disadvantageous.'
In the first place, Jin started the battle exhausted, while Luntia was in perfect condition. Also, she is using the entire subspace as her own energy, and even if she is injured, she appears to recover straight away through energy of chaos.
Jin needed to finish it in one strike, if possible.
'I have to keep in mind the combat situation after exiting the sub-space... But it's better to trust Zipfel and Kinzelo on that matter.'
If Jin clumsily tries to conserve his strength, he won't be able to avoid serious injuries.
[Trying to unleash the sword of the day you made the declaration, are you...?]
"But unlike back then, you have nothing to protect this time, elder sister."
However, just like before, you wouldn't be able to receive this sword.
As Jin continued his words and began to unleash his sword, Luntia smirked.
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The first form of Battle God's ultimate technique, open.
Along with a shockwave, an enormous force and energy violently shook the space, causing existing fissures to spew out blood-like chaos.
In the unsteady space, the two individuals stared at each other for a few seconds.
Jin was the first to close the distance. His blue shining sword and body moved like light, charging towards Luntia.
Crack-!
An earthquake occurred as Sigmund and Charles clashed. In the first exchange after unleashing the Plutonian's Reign Sword, Jin realized that Luntia had become even stronger than before.
'Elder Sister Mary's Volcano!?'
The 7th decisive killing move of the clan that was independently transformed by Mary Runcandel. Her volcano is used as a strengthening technique, unlike the original self-destruct mechanism.
Jin had never heard of Mary teaching Luntia her volcano.
'... No, it's different.'
Mary's Volcano puts a great strain on the user's body, but it doesn't completely destroy it.
However, the volcano that Luntia unleashed was shattering every part of her body without pause. Like a statue breaking, every part of Luntia's body was torn and exploded, repeating the process of regeneration in an instant.
In other words, Luntia only changed the form of the "explosion" and essentially received a similar shock to the original while unleashing the volcano.
It was possible due to her regeneration through the chaos and her transcendental strong body.
Jin felt sadness and regret while facing such formidable power. It stemmed from the fact that the bloodline with the potential to become the sword of the era ultimately became a monster.
[This is the sword I prepared for you, the youngest.]
[The chaos users that I've experienced so far have no qualms about breaking their bodies.]
Not only the ones without power, but also those with power, mostly acted the same. Ron, Smarion, Stam, Lionel, Padler, and Luntia, whom Jin had faced.
Only Ron Hairan had finally overcome his madness and risen to the ranks of Genesis knight, and the meaning behind that fact was clear. Only those who are cautious about breaking themselves can move on to the next stage.
Otherwise, they can only end up jumping into the fire like a moth.
[What do you mean by that?]
[Elder Sister, you have become stronger, but that's all there is to it.]
[You are already vomiting blood.]
Even as her body repeatedly broke and regenerated without rest, Luntia remained stable.
On the other hand, Jin took a step back little by little from the moment she started to attack in earnest.
Of the three powers that Jin possessed, they were organically connected and filled in the deficient parts of each attribute. Since the shadow force is the core of strengthening among them, it was bound to be lacking in all aspects than usual now that it was exhausted.
[Of course, you must still have hidden sword techniques. Show them to me, I want to feel thrilled.]
With a crazed laugh that echoed like a maniac, Luntia was becoming more and more ferocious as the fight intensified.
'Is madness covering the pain?' Jin thought as he watched her thrash about.
Jin's movements gradually reduced unlike Luntia who ran rampant.
Luntia judged that Jin's physical strength was consumed faster because he was quite exhausted when he came here, and that's actually true.
Jin was simply becoming more cautious, waiting for the opportunity to end the fight in one fell swoop.
[You seem to know everything, don't you?] Jin taunted.
[Stop the nonsense, this is my last fight.] Luntia replied.
The bones were shaking and shuddering. As Luntia's sword increased its speed, Jin could feel Charles digging deeper into his flesh.
It's not that Jin didn't gain anything.
'It seems there are gaps in her regeneration?'
In real-time combat, there are inevitably physical limitations that can cause a fighter's body to break down. The gaps between attacks were so short that only someone as skilled as Jin could detect them.
Jin was analyzing the pattern of these gaps.
Although they were irregular to the point of being unpredictable, Jin felt that he could impose his own rules. He would guide Luntia's attack patterns in the direction he desired.
'I don't have the senses of the sister battle god, but it's possible as long as Elder Sister Luntia doesn't stop.'
Jin's swordsmanship began to take on a soft form like water.
Luntia thought that this was Jin's chosen countermeasure. Of course, that doesn't mean Luntia hasn't prepared anything.
She had expected that Jin would have some countermeasures. But she couldn't keep up with Jin's moves because she lost her mind.
And when Charles brushed past his neck two more times, Jin had the perfect opportunity to finish Luntia off.
'Now.'
As Luntia's attack began to shift from bottom to top, Jin leapt into the air as if propelled by an external force.
Luntia didn't miss the gap and unleashed a series of lightspeed thrusts to the location where Jin's body floated and the expected landing point, and it was a blind spot that Jin couldn't perceive.
You can't avoid it.
At that moment, Jin unleashed the next form of the battle god's ultimate technique that he had been saving.
Plutonian swordsmanship Battle God 10th Sword 2nd form
Plutonian Reign Sword – War
The lightning energy formed in Jin's eyes emitted an even bluer radiance. As if Luntia had been waiting for that, she focused her energy on Charles' sword tip.
Along with the murky black light unique to chaos, the heavy black light of Aura was forming together.
Runcandel 4th secret technique
Black cross
A sword that Jin has seen once when dealing with Hedo in the past.
Charles's blade, drawn in a cross, seemed to slice through Jin from side to side. Although Luntia also felt the sensation of slicing flesh while wielding her sword, it was shallow.
'There are times when Joshua is helpful.'
In the past, when fighting Hedo at the Tower of the White Night, Jin had once seen Joshua's black cross.
Luntia's secret technique was incomparable to Joshua's, but Jin was able to minimize the injuries because of memories of that time.
Soon, the Black Cross sword technique surrounded Jin, drawing a huge circle, and in the midst of it, a cross-shaped black sword energy poured out, instantly engulfing Jin.
It all happened in an instant. The Black Cross sword technique was torn apart by the lightning energy of the Plutonian reigning sword.
Of course, the ultimate technique of the Plutonian's reign sword that Jin unleashed was beyond Luntia's expectations. For the first time, Luntia seemed to be stepping back, but she was still receiving most of the lightning energy that pierced her body.
[Kuh haha...!]
Luntia's body was repeatedly pierced with holes the size of human heads that kept appearing and disappearing.
The rate at which Plutonian's reigns sword destroys her body and the speed at which it was regenerating were almost the same.
'The volcano hasn't lifted yet. Still, sister Luntia is almost an immortal being in this subspace with this much regenerative power.'
Luntia withstand the second form of Plutonian reign sword and the blows of her volcano.
There are only a handful of people in the world who can withstand this level of damage. Even those who are stained with chaos.
Luntia is not originally able to do it, but the reason she was holding out was because of 'Luntia's subspace'. All of the chaos energy that made up this subspace was no different from Luntia herself.
In other words, Luntia is using all the subspace energy that Solderet originally created.
That is, Jin had to destroy an entire subspace in order to kill her. As long as the energy of chaos remained in subspace, it was impossible to kill Luntia.
[Kaaaaaa...!]
Luntia, who had been blown away by the shock wave of the Plutonian Reign sword, was struggling like a trapped beast.
She knew that if she could reach Jin just once, she could strike him down.
She also knew that if Jin had come without using up his stamina, she could never have defeated him.
Jin was sweating and controlling the lightning energy of Plutonian Reign sword.
He had reached the point where he was not experiencing any backlash, but he could not stop the rapid consumption of his aura.
Luntia was right.
If Jin had entered the tomb with his shadow force fully intact, the situation might have been the same, but the outcome would have been different.
If Jin had his shadow force, he would have surely won the battle even if he had fought this kind of exhausting power battle with Luntia and her subspace.
But not now. Even though Luntia's regeneration speed couldn't keep up with the destructive power of the Plutonian's Reign Sword, eventually when battle reached the end, Jin's energy would run out first.
Even if Jin added his mana from now on, it was the same. It was rather dangerous to add mana to the 2nd form Plutonian Reign Sword unleashed.
If a gap inevitably occurs when mana is used, the precarious power struggle will lean toward Luntia at once, and since subspace is a 'dead world', Jin couldn't summon Tess.
The stride of Luntia approaching Jin was gradually widening. Even while Luntia's body was twisting, the sword she held, Charles, was aiming at Jin precisely without moving, like a haunted ghost.
[You must be tired... and frustrated... I understand... it's unfair.]
At Luntia's words, Jin once closed his eyes. However, the decisive moment for Jin was right now.
He had no intention of risking his life by adding more mana or releasing more aura than his limit to face her, who had the entire energy of the subspace.
The last move that Jin had saved for facing her, who was connected to subspace, was his shadow force.
A connection point. Jin was convinced from the beginning of the battle that there would be a connection point linking Luntia and the subspace.
Luntia was not originally the owner of the subspace. She became the owner only by the trickery of the prophet.
Therefore, it was natural that there had to be a connection point to be assimilated with the subspace, and Jin had read the movement of shadow force throughout the fight.
The use of the Plutonian Reign sword was precisely a means to accurately locate the connection point.
'There they are.'
Srrrr...!
Amidst the roar, Bradamante quietly emerged from the sheath. Nearly all of the shadow force was consumed to open the door and not even a drop was left.
Jin raised all of his remaining shadow force and opened Bradamante.
[No, this is the end, elder sister.]
Plutonian reign sword was released.
Immediately afterward, Luntia recovered from all her wounds, and Jin cut off the connection points between Luntia and the subspace with the black-stained blade.
Luntia didn't show any sign of further recovery as soon as the connection points were severed.
Jin anticipates that Luntia will recover on her own, and takes advantage of the moment and stabs the blade into her chest.
660
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Pwooh-!
Black blood tinged with chaos splattered on Jin's face. Luntia, who relentlessly swung her sword, despite her body being shattered to pieces, finally stopped moving.
[Ha....]
The disconnected points that seemed to be cut off like threads behind Luntia could be seen. The connection points tried to converge back into Luntia, but they were blocked by the shockwaves left by Plutonian Reign sword.
Particles of chaos, like black rain, were falling between cracks in subspace.
Jin stabbed a sibling whom he felt had homogeneity inside. Although the situation could not have been avoided, his heart still aches as if something had broken.
[I have...lost.]
There was a metallic sound from Luntia's tired throat. Jin didn't twist the sword that stabbed her in the chest.
If possible, Jin wanted to talk to his sister one last time. Luntia, who faced her death, if only she could shake off madness even a little.
"Elder Sister Luntia."
[Hu.]
"Are you back to your senses?"
[The youngest….]
Jin's eyes widened. Luntia's reason was returning. Luntia slowly grabbed Bradamante's blade.
Her eyes, which alternated between the blade and Jin, were no longer filled with the darkness of chaos.
Suddenly overwhelmed by emotions, Luntia shut her eyes tightly for a moment.
[I did something terrible to you...]
She started pushing the blade out of her body with the little strength she had left.
It wasn't an action for retaliation.
Jin carefully helped her pull the sword out of her body.
Every time she moved or exerted force, hardened flesh fell off like stones.
As soon as the sword was out, Luntia took a slow breath.
Jin couldn't decide what to say to her.
[You had no choice but to stab me.]
Jin had only seen one human who found his reason even after being completely engulfed in chaos.
It was when Ron Hairan became the genesis knight, but Luntia's reason for coming back seemed different from his.
She wasn't a genesis knight like Ron.
[There couldn't have been a better option than this. If it wasn't you, I would have had to endure meaningless years dominated by this dark space and chaos.]
"How did... how did it come to this?"
Luntia replied with a bitter smile.
[Because of the family.]
Family.
The family she was talking about wouldn't be Rosa or the other siblings.
When Runcandel used the word 'family', as if referring to something very precious, it usually meant someone other than blood relatives.
A nanny who played a more genuine parental role than parents, companions formed during the growth process, someone who gave her heart, or siblings who became close in very special cases.
So Jin immediately thought of one person's name.
"... nanny Lisham. Did Rosa and the Prophet take Lisham as a hostage?"
Lisham is the nanny of Luntia Runcandel.
Before starting the battle, Jin asked Luntia if she had a weakness, because he had Lisham in mind from the beginning.
Luntia nodded her head.
[My nanny asked me for a favor.]
"Nanny Lisham asked you to accept the chaos...?"
The nannies in Runcandel have been so dedicated to the point of being cruel.
Personal life does not exist for nannies. They exist solely for the children they are entrusted with and never do anything that would harm them under any circumstances.
Taimyun Marius, who had deceived Luna, eventually became Joshua's dog, but her essence was ultimately a twisted love for Luna.
Not only Gilly, but even Taimyun would not have asked her child to accept chaos.
As far as Jin knew, Lisham wasn't that kind of person.
She can pay any price, even death or something more severe, for Luntia's sake.
"Isn't Nanny Lisham already brainwashed?"
[No, the nanny was fine. Just....]
Luntia's eyes turned red.
[She had a daughter.]
"Nanny Lisham had a daughter?"
The nannies of Runcandel cannot have children.
Even the adopted children raised by Taimyun at the orphanage were just weapons that could be used and discarded at any time.
If they were Taimyun biological children, Runcandel would not have chosen Taimyun as a nanny.
However, Lisham has a biological child.
Even without hearing it, Jin seemed to know the unpleasant circumstances that would follow.
[When I was in Storm Castle, my nanny was away for about a year. She said she gave birth to a daughter then....]
Lisham was in danger of paying a cruel price for breaking the laws of a nanny. In addition to the newly born child, the relatives of the three generations of her clan were almost exterminated.
But Lisham didn't pay any price.
[But at that time, Father covered it up for me.]
At that time, Chiron covered Lisham's wrongdoing and saved her daughter and relatives with a single word.
It was the first time that a nanny broke the clan law in the era and Chiron covered it up.
Instead, after giving birth, Lisham never saw her daughter and her family again, and they were all banished from Huphester and moved to a small town in the Magical Federation of Lutero.
-... The reason the patriarch forgave me at the time was probably because of the young lady.
-Because of me?
-Young lady, you cared for me very much when you were young. Of course, you still do.
-If it were my father, he would have thought that my current state lacked determination and fighting spirit. So he wouldn't have saved my nanny and her bloodline.
- But I'm alive, young lady. And now, even though I'm old and don't have much time left.... After that day, the daughter whom I never saw again is living a normal and happy life with her family. A peaceful and happy life.
-Ha....
-Madame Rosa said that she would kill all of them now. Since it was originally the patriarch's work, even Madame Rosa did not know where the child was living...… but Lady Ilina found out.
- What, get up. Nanny. What are you doing?
- I have dedicated my whole life to you, young lady. I have given my youth and everything to her. So, just once... just once, can't you show mercy to this wretched person?
- I'll try to stop my mother. Get up, don't do this!
- But that alone won't allow my daughter and grandchildren to survive...
Rosa's condition was that Luntia "replace" the owner of this subspace - the person who was originally the owner of this space.
Luntia accepted the condition. As Luntia explained these things, Jin struggled to control the hatred that was building up inside him towards Rosa.
[She said it was only for a year and said that it was enough to replace the original owner of this subspace for just one year. The old ten great knight Padler Runcandel, he was originally the owner of this place.]
Jin had anticipated that the Prophet would retrieve Padler from his tomb, but he had never thought that Luntia would be the one to replace him.
He had never even considered that such a thing was possible.
"Damn it...."
[But as soon as I took the place of Sir Padler through Ilina's abilities, I realized that it was a lie. I couldn't get out of this place even after 100 years, not just one year. The Prophet might have another method that I didn't know about, but I was sure. I have completely become one with the subspace.]
That is why Luntia was able to regain her sanity despite being consumed by chaos. She was no longer the human Luntia Runcandel; she had become the subspace itself.
Therefore, as much as the subspace's chaos was consumed, the chaos that had consumed Luntia also became weaker.
This also meant that if the subspace collapsed, Luntia would also face death.
Even now, the subspace was breaking in real time. Dropping the black rain of chaos.
Jin's gaze landed on the points of connection.
"If I reconnect them to you, can you survive?"
[Probably. The entire subspace hasn't been completely destroyed yet. But I don't really want that, youngest. It's better to end it like this. At least my sanity has returned, and I can die as myself.]
"How did you get in here, elder sister? In my opinion, the prophet does not know how to come back here, even though she may be able to replace Sir Padler with you, elder sister."
[It could be. But does that matter? The purpose would have been to use Sir Padler, who was here on my behalf, as a full force anyway.]
"I know one sure way to get in here. If you're alive, I'll be back when I can save you someday. It's not yet possible to cure cases of complete encroachment like you yet, but there is a way to purify the chaos."
[If I reconnect to it, I'll go crazy again.]
"I don't want to lose you like this. If you hold on, I will make sure that purification is possible. If you disappear like this, you won't be able to exact revenge on them, will you, elder sister? There is no guarantee that they will have kept their promise to save nanny Lisham's daughter."
[That's right, there is no guarantee. It was only our mother's promise. If the nanny had told me before her family was taken hostage, I might have found another way. But at that moment, I couldn't ignore my nanny.]
"If it were me, I wouldn't have been able to ignore Gilly either. I will check on and protect Nanny Lisham's family, so please wait."
Luntia pondered for a moment before nodding her head.
[Okay. Since I'm trapped in a trap anyway... But what is the reason for going this far for me? Even if you kill me here, it won't be that bad for you.]
"Then couldn't we become a better family, elder sister, you and I?"
Jin grabbed the connecting points.
[Jin, if I get the power of the subspace again now.]
"I will connect you after I find Hister. If you have enough strength to move, please help me. You said Hister is hiding somewhere in this subspace."
[Okay.]