Chapter 177
Episode 58: The Mirage of the Mitra Desert (5)
Jin had deliberately refrained from using Bradamante until this very moment.
“If I had wielded the sword from the start, my master would never have managed his magic this way. He would have been more meticulous, more defensive with his spells.”
And if that had been the case, facing Valeria would have been even more difficult. If she had committed herself to a defensive battle, breaking through her with his current condition would have been nearly impossible.
At first, Jin abandoned the sword out of respect for Valeria. But once he decided to fight, he judged that not using the sword was more efficient.
He was simply mimicking what he had learned from Valeria—finding any way to deceive the opponent, to catch them off guard. Jin believed that this was the truest form of respect he could pay his master.
Now was the time for that resolve to shine.
“Ugh!”
Valeria hastily reinforced her protective barrier.
She hadn’t expected Jin to have no hidden moves left. But she had assumed that whatever he had up his sleeve wouldn’t be a dagger like this—it would be magic.
Jin was openly declaring a head-on confrontation. “You are my entire magic. I will fight you with magic alone,” his whole being expressed that deep respect.
That respect.
Because she deeply believed that the respect directed at her was genuine, Valeria couldn’t help but swallow hard the moment Jin threw the dagger.
If Jin had drawn the cards of spirit energy and sword—
When he was caught by the chains of fire, when Tess was struck by the lightning spear, when Yeokcheon’s efforts were in vain and he stood bare before the lightning spear again…
That should have been the moment. Or at least one of the earlier moments when he should have drawn the dagger. But now?
Black blades reflected in Valeria’s wide-open eyes. Before she could even blink, the dagger had already struck her shield.
Crash!
Like a thin sheet of ice shattering, her protective barrier broke apart. The moment the blade touched, it shattered into pieces, unable to even alter the dagger’s trajectory.
The silver pine staff she swung reflexively met the same fate. She was a mage, not a warrior—there was no way she had the physical ability to parry a dagger flying like lightning.
Instead, the lightning spear was rushing toward Jin’s nape.
Dagger and lightning spear.
No matter which hit first, Jin was already certain of victory. The dagger was aimed precisely near Valeria’s neck, while the lightning spear was not.
If it missed once, there would be no second chance. Valeria, forced to move the lightning spear, would already be out of breath.
The lightning spear grazed Jin’s back.
Thud…!
The dagger pierced his collarbone.
The impact sent Valeria’s body briefly floating and pushed back through the air. A crimson arc of blood spurted from the collarbone, and moments later—
Jin and Valeria collapsed side by side onto the sandy ground. They were so close that turning their heads revealed each other’s faces.
The magic on the silver pine staff quickly faded. The lightning spear flew far into the pale desert sky before vanishing somewhere.
Both fallen warriors coughed up blood. Neither could stand. Jin’s legs had been pierced by the lightning spear, and Valeria struggled even to spit out the blood rising in her throat.
“…Your fatal flaw was trusting me too much. I told you clearly—I would fight your way.”
“The reason I didn’t use the sword from the start…”
“I know you well. If I hadn’t been prepared to endure several mortal wounds like this, I could never have deceived you.”
“Hu, hu…”
A lump rose in Valeria’s throat as she turned her head to look at Jin.
“Jin.”
But Jin didn’t turn his head.
Even if it was a mirage, just like with the Tona brothers, the thought that he had truly struck down his master choked his heart.
But he could no longer afford to be weak. He must not ask why it had to be this way, why it had to be her.
Jin had simply fought his enemy—and won.
That was Valeria’s way.
Soon, Valeria smiled quietly.
“You’ve grown strong. A lot.”
Softly…
Her body dissolved into glowing particles, swept away by the desert wind.
Then, the wound in Jin’s thigh slowly began to heal. The torn earlobe grew new flesh, and the blackened ankle regained its natural color. As if nothing had happened.
Jin’s face was calm.
Though inside, it felt as if rust-colored water was boiling fiercely, he knew he couldn’t move forward without composure.
“Phew.”
Rising, Jin sheathed Bradamante. The final mirage was surely waiting for him.
The third mirage appeared that very night.
The sun still hung sharp and blue on the horizon—a white night. Beneath the astonishingly bright night sky, far off in the distance, a man stood tall.
He held a sword loosely at his side, quietly watching Jin.
“Father?”
At first, Jin thought it was Siron Runcandel.
Because no one else could radiate such overwhelming presence that crushed the entire desert beneath it.
The barren sand seemed to form a forest of blades. Jin was certain that if he took a single step carelessly, invisible swords would tear his body apart.
As he paused, the energy riding the wind wrapped around him.
Even if the blue sun above the man were to fall, it seemed no one could touch him.
“No, it’s not Father…”
Though the distance hid his face, Jin soon became certain who the man was. Though a thousand years had passed since his death, and Jin had never seen his face—
“Temar Runcandel.”
The founder of the Runcandel clan, the legendary first head of the family.
It was definitely him.
“The final trial.”
He was absurdly powerful.
He stood still, yet Jin felt cold sweat soaking his entire body.
If there was a human capable of cutting this desert with a single stroke, it would not be Siron, but Temar.
That instinct sent shivers through Jin’s body.
“Is he truly human, not a god?”
Unlike the Tona brothers or Valeria, Temar was not a figure within Jin’s mind. He was a spirit temporarily manifested by borrowing the power of Solderet hidden in the great desert.
Yet the overwhelming energy dominating the desert was undeniably real.
Jin had to break through it and move forward. He had to walk bare through millions of invisible blades.
“My feet…”
They wouldn’t move.
It wasn’t fear of death or being cut that held him back.
It was the crushing weight of Temar’s presence. Like being pinned beneath a massive fortress, his body refused to obey.
“What am I supposed to do? I can’t move under this pressure.”
Of course, Temar gave no answer. He simply stood like a mountain, looking down at Jin. Jin couldn’t take the final trial of the desert like this.
He stood frozen for a long time. Bound by the energy, unable to move forward or retreat—it was maddening.
He couldn’t even speak. He felt like a rock sinking to the bottom of the ocean.
“Wait, trial?”
Suddenly, something clicked in Jin’s mind, and his eyes blinked.
Trial.
Everything he had endured so far was a trial of the great desert… Jin murmured to himself, recalling the mirages he had faced.
The first mirage was the Tona brothers; the second was Valeria.
They had one thing in common.
“You couldn’t move forward without cutting them down. Without the resolve to cut, you couldn’t fight them.”
When you cut something with a sword, there’s something more important than swordsmanship itself.
The will to cut, the belief that you can cut, the iron resolve to cut through and move on.
Without that, cutting with a sword is impossible.
Luna, despite her ten-star swordsmanship, couldn’t cut Taimun; Jin himself couldn’t cut Dante in the arena finals.
Not because they were weak, but because their resolve wavered. For whatever reason, their will to cut the opponent wasn’t strong enough.
If Jin had hesitated when cutting the Tona brothers, he wouldn’t have passed the first mirage.
If he had hesitated when cutting Valeria, he wouldn’t have passed the second.
“Temar Runcandel, I walk toward you.”
Such lukewarm resolve wouldn’t even allow him to face the third trial.
I will cut you.
I can cut you. Even if you are a giant who can split the sun in two, I must cut you.
As he repeated this like a spell, the crushing pressure began to lift as if by magic. His legs, once as stiff as stone, began to move. The suffocating weight in his chest eased.
A great warrior must be able to summon his will at will. And Jin, being a great warrior, could decide to cut him.
But that alone wasn’t enough to pass the trial.
“Ugh…!”
The moment he took two steps, his knees buckled. It felt as if a cold blade had pierced him, sending a chilling pain through his body. No blood spilled, but fear gnawed at him.
If the ability to summon will at any time is the mark of a great warrior—
Then the unbreakable will in any situation is the realm of a perfected warrior. Or the realm of the strong.
Some people never hold a sword but embody indomitable spirit; others wield swords all their lives yet remain cowardly.
To pass the final trial, such will was necessary. A will that bows to nothing.
“If I didn’t have that will, even if I were reborn, I’d be just as miserable. Temar!”
Clack!
A molar cracked sharply inside Jin’s clenched jaw. Rising to his feet, he spat out the broken tooth fragment and took another step forward. At that moment, a quiet smile appeared at Temar’s lips.
By then, Jin realized that even when he opened his eyes, all he could see was darkness. Beneath the pale blue glow of the midnight sun over the vast desert, he was the only one walking through the shadows.
Whoooosh…!
Black smoke curled up beside Temar. The black dragon, Misha, who had been hiding within the barrier until now, transformed into human form and stood at his side.
“Temar. Did you just… smile? Temar, are you really conscious now?”
Her voice was urgent, filled with disbelief. When Temar didn’t answer, Misha reached out to grab his shoulder.
“Ah…!”
But her hand passed right through him, as if touching a phantom.
With a heavy thud, Misha collapsed onto the sand, staring blankly at the ground. A hollow, short laugh escaped her lips.
‘Did I imagine it? No, he definitely smiled.’
After a thousand years, she had finally seen the smile of the one she loved.
Slowly, she lifted her head and shifted her gaze to Jin.
The boy who had made Temar smile was now only a few dozen steps away—closing the distance between them. As if he might reach them any moment, Misha hurried to wipe the moisture gathering in her eyes.