Chapter 185
Episode 60: Blood Transfusion, Brothers (Part 1)
Crack!
The aura pouring from Bradamante flashed like a bolt of lightning. The triangular light glowing on Jin’s chest flickered like the eye of a colossal beast, and Shaku’s expression betrayed clear surprise from the very start.
He hadn’t expected Jin to wield the Meiwang Sword. Shaku had assumed the duel would begin with the Spirit Sword or some ordinary swordsmanship.
“Who on earth taught him this…!? No, wait. Even if someone taught him, this isn’t a martial art you can just pick up and use right away!”
The Meiwang Sword refers to the martial arts based on the unique power of the Meiwang clan—the “Light Heart.” It encompasses all forms of combat: swordsmanship, spear techniques, archery, hand-to-hand fighting, and more.
In other words, without the Light Heart, these martial arts are unusable.
Half a millennium ago, countless humans and beastmen had tried desperately to imitate the Light Heart. But they only mimicked the form; not a single one could replicate the Meiwang clan’s distinctive aura manipulation.
Yet now, the Meiwang Sword technique “Lightning” crashing down on Shaku’s crown was no different from the real thing, even though it was wielded by a mere human.
Fzzzt!
Lightning crackled from Shaku’s sword as well. He countered with the same “Lightning” technique Jin had unleashed. Blue sparks flew as the two bolts collided, and the onlookers sighed in awe.
“You little—!”
Responding with the same technique stung Shaku’s pride.
Though Jin was a successor, he was still an unrecognized human novice—not yet acknowledged as a “brother.” For him to use the Meiwang Sword at all was absurd.
“Who taught you?”
“Was it the Tantel brothers?”
“It’s strange… I never imagined a human could wield the Meiwang Sword…”
Even Temar, who was recognized as a brother, hadn’t mastered the Meiwang Sword. He lacked anyone to share the Meiwang clan’s traits and memories with him.
Memories alone weren’t enough. To manifest the Light Heart, one had to possess at least some Meiwang attributes. For Jin, Boras’s molar played that role.
“This is strange for me too. Somehow, I prefer the Meiwang Sword over the Spirit Sword.”
The Spirit Sword techniques were generally delicate and subtle.
In contrast, the Meiwang Sword was explosive and destructive—designed for the strong and the ruthless. Its style resembled Runkandel’s.
“Otu-Wang brother!”
Suddenly, as Shaku and Jin exchanged lightning strikes, Shaku broke away and looked for Boras.
“What is it, Shaku brother?”
Boras suppressed a flinch. Like the other Meiwang clan members, his expression asked silently, “How on earth did Jin learn the Meiwang Sword?”
“Otu-Wang brother’s special grafting technique must still be intact!”
Murmurs rippled through the Meiwang clan at the mention of “special grafting technique.”
“That’s… obvious.”
“So even if the successor’s limbs are torn apart repeatedly, it shouldn’t be a problem?”
When Boras hesitated, Ittu-Wang “Baltiloc” glared at him.
“Why can’t you answer, Otu-Wang brother? Could it be that you were the one who passed the Meiwang Sword to the successor?”
“No!”
Boras shouted, pale as death, hiding the fact that it was his molar that did it.
“Then answer Shaku brother quickly. He’s asking for a favor, saying he owes you one.”
While Boras hesitated, Jin nodded first.
“Tell him to go ahead, Boras. Even if my limbs are severed, as long as they’re reattached with that special grafting technique, it’s fine, right? From the name, it sounds like a healing art for restoring severed limbs.”
“But… the special grafting technique isn’t perfect. If I make even a small mistake, some sensation in the affected area might never return.”
“That’s fine. I’m the one who asked to be pushed to the brink of death anyway. I’ll accept the risk.”
Jin never spoke lightly when it came to training.
Even here, in the forgotten land of Laprarosa, he was willing to stake his life.
“During the compass theft mission, who knows what monsters Kinzello and Zipple will face? I have to achieve as much as possible here. This isn’t the time to hold back.”
Shaku grinned, baring his teeth.
“Then consider it granted, Boras brother!”
At first glance, it seemed the decision rested with Shaku, Boras, and Baltiloc.
But in truth, they had tacit approval from the Duel God Ban. Since Ban hadn’t stopped the conversation, Shaku felt free to act without restraint.
While Garmund, Linpa, and Boras burned with anxiety, Duel God Ban simply looked down at Jin with a strange gaze.
“Let’s begin again, successor. I’ll make you pay for daring to use the Meiwang Sword recklessly…!”
Kraaaah!
Suddenly, Shaku roared.
Even as a simple roar, it tore at the ears and felt like a hammer pounding the head. Without aura protection, the shockwave spreading afterward would have dealt serious damage.
“So the White Wolf clan’s roar was just a cry. This is even more intimidating than a dragon’s roar.”
From now on, this would be less a duel and more a fight. Dry saliva slid harshly down Jin’s throat.
Tzzzzzt!
Lightning the size of a palm wrapped around Shaku’s entire body. Gravity seemed to accelerate; the air grew heavy. Jin focused his mind and summoned his mana.
“It’s good to be able to use all my strength without holding back.”
Unlike his rapidly depleting aura, his mana was full. Just as he was about to open the gate of the fire element to summon Tess and fight alongside her—
“The blue flames… aren’t spreading!”
Jin realized this place wasn’t an ordinary world like the outside.
The fire element’s phoenixes couldn’t come to Laprarosa. This land was already a “dead world.”
“What are you waiting for, successor?”
Five straight bolts of lightning poured down. The Meiwang Sword’s “Lightning” technique wasn’t a single move but more a state.
Every swing of the sword infused with Light Heart aura summoned lightning. Jin couldn’t yet unleash as many bolts as Shaku, so he couldn’t counter them all.
Kraaaak!
Dodging and weaving, Jin prepared a new spell.
“I have to create an opening to use the Spirit Sword’s first technique.”
If he couldn’t summon Tess, a direct confrontation was hopeless. Shaku’s body surpassed Jin’s in speed, strength, and stamina.
Jin’s blessed body hadn’t fully blossomed yet, while Shaku was a fully grown Meiwang warrior. The difference was natural.
“So there were tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of warriors like this before the fall.”
Then the outcome hinged on a single strike. The only way for the weak to defeat the strong was a fatal blow that caught them off guard.
Jin’s 7-star aura couldn’t even pierce the lightning wrapping Shaku’s body. Even when he managed to stab Bradamante through a gap, it wasn’t a true opening.
The mysterious repulsive force of the lightning bounced the blade away—similar to the secret technique of Hailan, the Emperor Sword Dragon Armor, that Dante had seen in Samil.
Though it wasn’t an automatic counterattack like the Dragon Armor, Shaku’s sword flew back immediately, so it wasn’t much different.
Shaku’s blade, which had been scattering lightning, changed form. Since Jin dodged well, Shaku decided to use a more efficient technique.
Ziiiiiing!
Aura from the Light Heart seeped into Shaku’s blade. Each time it clashed with Bradamante, it pulled Jin toward it.
It felt like dozens of invisible hands grabbing his entire body. To break free from Shaku’s blade, Jin had to exert three times his usual strength.
That meant his stamina drained three times faster, making natural evasion impossible.
“Lightning Suppression…!”
The technique was etched clearly in the memories Jin gained from Boras’s molar.
The Meiwang Sword’s Lightning Suppression.
It was a technique that gave the sword magnetic attraction. The Meiwang clan’s aura manipulation was completely different from other races.
Though they had perished overnight half a millennium ago, their martial arts still lived on like legends for a reason.
“Got you!”
Shaku grabbed Jin by the collar. The two swords stuck together like magnets due to the suppression. Jin wildly hammered Shaku’s hand with his left fist.
Thwack! Crack! Thud! The dull sounds continued, but it was Jin’s fist that felt like it might break. Shaku endured the blows for a while, then chuckled.
“Is it my turn now?”
A fist larger than Jin’s head flew toward him. Lightning crackled over the black fur-covered fist.
Kraang!
If Jin hadn’t activated Multa’s rune, his face would have been completely crushed. Shaku frowned at the black helmet protecting Jin’s face.
“What’s this?”
“A secret helmet.”
“Yeah, you’ll regret it once you get hit.”
Shaku aimed next for Jin’s chest.
Instead of guarding with his arms, Jin seized the opening as Shaku threw his punch and targeted his eye. His right index finger surged forward, cloaked in dark spirit energy.
“Got it!”
Even if his eyeball burst, Jin wasn’t sure if the special grafting technique could heal it.
The atmosphere was so tense that if he didn’t stab immediately, it wouldn’t be surprising if he got beaten to death. Fortunately, his desperately outstretched index finger seemed close enough to reach Shaku’s eye.
Flick!
It made contact.
At the same moment, Shaku’s fist slammed into Jin’s chest. Kwang! A wave of pain crashed through him, as if his organs and bones were being crushed.
If he hadn’t been wearing the Black King Armor, he would have passed out on the spot. The only reason he could stab without raising his guard was thanks to the legendary armor Shiron had given him.
“Ugh!”
The Black King Armor didn’t absorb all the impact.
And as Jin doubled over, coughing up blood, he couldn’t help but think that instead of trying to stab Shaku’s eye, he should have just raised his guard.
‘Damn it… what kind of eyes are these? How can they be this tough? This has to be cheating.’
His finger was broken.
It wasn’t blocked by the lightning crackling around Shaku’s body. Because he had condensed his spirit energy, the finger definitely pierced through the lightning and struck Shaku’s eyeball precisely.
Yet Shaku’s right eye remained intact, while Jin’s finger was mangled and useless.
“Ah, our eyes are as tough as our hearts. Didn’t know that? That’s why we’re the strongest.”
Kwang!
Shaku punched Jin’s chest again. Crack. The sternum shattered beneath the Black King Armor.
Jin’s consciousness rapidly faded.
“As promised, I’ll cut off your limbs. Next time we spar, I expect to see some humility, victor!”
When Jin opened his eyes again, it was pitch black.
‘Because of Pyeongsik’s oppression, I never even got a chance to unleash my spirit sword. For a regular warrior to be this strong… what kind of species are they?’
As his awareness returned, he immediately thought of his failure. He hadn’t expected to win, but he regretted not trying more.
“…Are you really going to be okay?”
He heard Boras’s voice nearby.
But he couldn’t respond—no sound came out.
“Yes. Otu King brothers, while you help the victor recover, transfuse my blood as well.”
That was the voice of the War God Ban.