Episode 126
Chapter 41: Veris and Kuzan (Part 1)

Two beams of magical energy pierced through the horses. Though the horses died instantly, thanks to Jin’s shout, the group rolled to safety and avoided further harm.

“Ugh, what the hell is going on now?!”

“Looks like it’s them.”

They quickly took up defensive stances, but no immediate follow-up attack came. Instead, two figures slowly emerged from the bushes.

A young woman and a young man—both probably not yet thirty.

The moment Den recognized their faces, his expression turned ashen.

“Y-you… you two.”

“Ah, Den oppa! What’s this? How did you know we’d come looking for you? Even got yourself some guards—you’re sharper than I thought!”

The woman spoke first. Taller than the man beside her, her sharp features were lit up with a mischievous grin that didn’t quite fit the tense situation.

She had mistaken Jin and Zett for Den’s bodyguards.

“Veris…!”

Den called her name, and the woman smiled slyly.

She was the very sorceress who had slaughtered the survivors of the Moon’s Sacrifice.

‘She looks barely out of her twenties, yet she’s at least an 8th-rank mage? And not even a Jiple? That’s shocking. A prodigy I’ve never even heard of.’

“Hehe, Kuzan, what do you think? How did Den find out we’re killing his brothers? Let’s turn Den oppa into minced meat first, then we can interrogate these guys, right?”

“That fool couldn’t have known in advance. They must have been spying on us recently. And now they know we started hunting today. Veris, stay sharp. That hooded guy doesn’t look like an ordinary opponent.”

“Ah, come on, don’t be so tense! How often do we get to face someone strong enough to make you nervous? You’re just too cautious, Kuzan. No wonder you’re unpopular.”

Veris Marius and Kuzan Marius.

The youngest and strongest hunters from the Moon’s Sacrifice.

Zett glared at them, tense as a drawn bowstring, while Den held his daughter tightly with trembling hands.

“So you’re Veris and Kuzan, huh? I was curious about who’s been messing with my plans. Pleasure to meet you.”

As Jin cloaked himself in aura with his sword Bradamante, Kuzan drew his blade. Unlike Veris, Kuzan maintained a stoic, cautious demeanor throughout.

“Hehe, I’m curious to find out what kind of guy you really are. But first, let’s finish this. Den oppa, come out now, and I might just spare your little girl. Maybe.”

Veris aimed a swirling orb of wind magic at them with a grin.

‘A 4th-rank wind spell—Blade Wind.’

Enough to kill Den outright, but an 8th-rank mage would usually wield something far more powerful. Jin understood why Veris was using such a low-level spell.

‘She’s been using hellish winds to kill survivors since dawn, so she’s conserving mana. Even though she thinks I’m just a bodyguard, she’s holding back.’

Veris’s choice to use the brutal hell winds on the Moon’s Sacrifice survivors was likely due to her twisted, cruel nature. She was the type who reveled in overwhelming slaughter.

If she were a fully charged 8th-rank mage, she’d be a tough opponent.

But if she was drained or at risk of mana backlash, she could be defeated—unless facing an exceptionally gifted 8th-rank mage.

‘The real problem is that guy. The one who poisoned the survivors and now wields a sword…’

Kuzan carried a standard longsword. Assassins usually don’t favor such weapons.

‘Is poison just a side tactic? His main weapon is the sword.’

Worst case: he’s skilled in both poison and swordsmanship. Naturally, Jin had to prepare for the worst.

Could Jin win against them?

With magic at 7th rank, swordsmanship at 6th, and spiritual energy at 5th, if they let their guard down and Jin played his cards right, victory was possible.

‘But if Kuzan is truly 8th rank, it’s practically impossible. Unlike Veris, he doesn’t seem to waste aura. As always, I’ll have to create some kind of variable.’

Just as Jin was organizing his thoughts to speak—

“Ah, getting annoying, huh? I told you to come out, you worthless bug!”

Whoosh! A razor-sharp wind blade shot straight from Veris’s hand. Jin raised an aura shield to block it, but Veris immediately cast another spell.

“Zett.”

“Yes!”

“Take Den and run.”

“What!? No way, sir! Eek!”

As Jin swung his sword to deflect the second blade, Kuzan lunged like a spear, aiming for Jin’s shoulder.

‘The shoulder. They probably want me alive—they have a lot to ask.’

Clang!

Even without full power, the pressure radiating from Kuzan’s blade was immense. No doubt, an 8th-rank. The worst-case scenario was unfolding.

Still, thanks to Runkandel’s blessed physique, Jin could parry such strikes a few times with one hand.

“Honestly, you seem way more valuable than Den. Maybe you should ditch him and run. And with one hand? They’re seriously underestimating you.”

“Well, my life is more precious, true. But I don’t want my daughter to see her father die. I’m a bit soft-hearted like that.”

Clang! Sparks flew as Jin and Kuzan’s blades clashed, while Zett stomped helplessly, unable to intervene.

“Oh no, sir!”

“Run! You won’t help here. Fighting alone is our best chance—either I kill these two, or you survive.”

“I’d rather die with you!”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. Now get out of here—that’s an order.”

“Sniff… Sir, good luck!”

Tears in her eyes, Zett snatched Den’s daughter from his arms and bolted like mad. Den hurried after her, and Veris chuckled softly at the sight.

“Oh, really! I’m tearing up, can’t watch. Hehe, darling, did you really think they’d get away? Kuzan! Entertain our little cutie for a bit. I’ll go finish this quickly.”

Kuzan nodded lightly.

As another blade came flying, Jin narrowed his eyes and unleashed a hidden spell from his free hand.

The spell that had never failed him in a crisis.

Flash Cannon.

Whoosh! A sudden, piercing light flooded the area, forcing Kuzan to stagger back, unable to meet its glare.

“Ugh!”

Even an 8th-rank knight couldn’t help but falter when blinded like that. Veris, farther away, flinched and shielded her eyes.

In less than a second—

Jin seized the moment and surged into Kuzan’s guard, aiming to end it with a single stroke.

A sharp flash from Bradamante’s blade, and a brief tearing sound. Jin felt the blade slice through something.

“Gah!”

But reaching 8th rank wasn’t something to take lightly.

‘He reacted?’

Drip, drip. Before Kuzan could counterattack, Jin’s blade tip dripped blood. Kuzan had regained some vision and composure.

“Tch.”

Instead of the neck, Jin had cut Kuzan’s chest. The coat was rapidly soaked in blood—fortunately, the wound wasn’t shallow.

“Ahhh! Kuzan!”

For the first time, the smile vanished from Veris’s face. She rushed over, pale as death, checked Kuzan’s wound, then glared at Jin with a chilling intensity.

“I’ll tear you apart piece by piece… how dare you harm Kuzan!”

Roar!

Suddenly, magical energy surged around Veris like a waterfall. She screamed with wild eyes, ready to fight Jin with everything she had.

But Jin smiled inwardly.

‘She must be low on mana. Keep drawing it out—if she blocks a few more times, she’ll self-destruct from backlash…’

Crack!

Just as Veris charged at Jin, Kuzan grabbed her shoulder and shook his head.

“Don’t get carried away, Veris. He’s a magic swordsman. That means he knows a mage’s weaknesses well. Besides, that last spell was light magic. We need to be careful.”

“But he’s after you!”

“You know this wound is nothing. Den will pursue later. Before they get too far, we should take care of this guy first.”

“Nothing? It shortens your lifespan!”

Kuzan was the real problem.

‘Strong, humble, cautious, and confident enough to identify Flash Cannon as a magic swordsman’s spell, not an artifact. He’s a tough one.’

A chill ran down Jin’s spine.

Two 8th-rank opponents, both alert and cautious, meant his chances were slim.

Though Kuzan was badly injured, he pulled a vial from his coat and drank it. The bleeding slowed visibly.

Kuzan had just taken poison.

But to a human with extreme resistance, it was more like a miraculous elixir.

‘Is he the same type as Yona? This guy just keeps getting worse.’

Jin, who considered Yona Runkandel his sister, recognized the type immediately.

“If you ever end up facing someone like Yona as an enemy, remember this: you have to finish them off in a single strike. Otherwise, they’ll just keep regenerating endlessly, like an immortal. Their regeneration is tied to their life force, but trust me, they’re a real pain to deal with.”

“On the flip side, you can’t afford to take even the smallest injury. When they go all out, they usually coat their weapons with deadly poison—poison so potent that even their own resistance can barely handle it.”

Those words brought back memories of the training sessions with Luna.

Just as she said, Kuzan, now fully recovered, was coating his blade with a faintly glowing green poison. A murky light shimmered from his sword, a mix of venom and aura.

“I’m giving up on capturing him alive, Veris. Cover me.”

“Got it, but don’t push yourself too hard. I don’t want you getting hurt any more than you already have because of that bastard.”

“If only it were that easy.”

Whoosh!

Kuzan’s charge was so fast that his fierce glare left afterimages behind. Jin planted his feet firmly and lunged his sword forward with all his might.

Klang!

When their blades clashed, the impact was far more intense than before, sending shockwaves and a deafening roar through the air. Just one exchange was enough to prove the overwhelming power of a true eight-star knight.

“Die!”

And with Veris providing magical support from behind…

Cornered in a life-or-death situation, Jin found himself agonizing over when to draw the remaining daggers.

Tess, Multa’s rune, sword release.

Those were now the only variables left that could turn the tide.