Episode 286
Chapter 89: Temar’s First Tomb (7)
Because of the condensed brain energy in his radiant heart, it felt as if a small sun was blazing right in the center of Jin’s chest. A pure white light, impossible to conceal beneath his clothes, illuminated the surroundings.
But it wasn’t just the immediate area that brightened.
Moments later, as the brain energy surged once more within his radiant heart, the dim interior of the pocket dimension suddenly lit up.
The Guardian couldn’t immediately grasp what was happening, but he sensed that something monumental had changed within Jin.
[Brain energy, huh? Just as Temar described—a fascinating power.]
The attacks continued relentlessly.
Now, the Guardian’s greatsword unleashed massive sword energy capable of cleaving even a large sailing ship in a single strike. Jin was nearly overwhelmed, barely clinging to life beneath the onslaught of sword energy.
And it seemed he couldn’t hold out much longer.
Since the brain energy in his radiant heart began to surge wildly, Jin’s movements had noticeably deteriorated.
He was gathering brain energy to unleash his martial spirit technique, which was draining his focus.
[Do you really think you can afford to show such weakness before me, Silderay?]
Screeeek!
The greatsword came down in a straight line, producing a terrifying sound of rending air.
A 10-star knight’s ordinary strike carried the power of a precise technique, and naturally, Jin—slowed and distracted—couldn’t fully block it.
His best option was to evade.
Gritting his teeth, Jin executed a footwork maneuver.
His stance held firm, and Silderay’s greatsword slammed into the ground.
But dodging a 10-star knight’s strike was no ordinary feat.
Simply avoiding the sword’s path wasn’t enough.
The shockwaves—both tangible and intangible—ripped through the air with the force of an 8-star attack.
Scratch, hiss—! The skin near Jin’s throat was sliced. Had the cut been just a finger’s breadth deeper, it would have been fatal. Simultaneously, another shockwave swept across his chest and shoulder.
A streak of bright red blood traced through the air.
His coat and shirt shredded to tatters, the aura’s heat instantly oxidizing the fabric, revealing the radiant heart pulsing with brain energy.
It shone brilliantly. Silderay’s eyes twitched at the sudden glare from the radiant heart.
That fleeting moment was the first real opening Jin had since the battle began.
Instead of attacking, Jin took a step back. Since Silderay had controlled the distance between them all along, Jin could only manage a single step away.
But that single step felt invaluable.
One step wasn’t enough to escape the offensive, but it was enough to break free from the oppressive aura and catch his breath.
For a brief moment, he could liken it to stepping away from an active volcano.
‘Just being close was enough to crush my entire body under that aura.’
Thanks to the blessed body of the Runkandel lineage, he had endured.
Now that he had a moment to breathe, it was time to complete the martial spirit technique he had prepared. Within the radiant heart, glowing as if ready to ignite, brain energy surged in waves beyond reckoning.
That was the total amount of brain energy Jin possessed.
[It seems the preparation is complete, Jin Runkandel.]
The Guardian smiled faintly, as if he had been waiting for this.
He had deliberately moderated his attacks to allow Jin to complete his martial spirit technique.
That smile carried mixed feelings: anticipation for the true extent of Jin’s latent power, and a reprimand—if this were a real battle, Jin would not have survived.
“You speak as if it hurts your pride.”
Bang! Crash!
Reading the meaning behind Silderay’s smile, Jin scattered the sword energy. Silderay’s sword energy shattered with a roar.
[You say I waited for you?]
“If this were a real fight, I wouldn’t be struggling so pointlessly against you, Lord Silderay.”
The Guardian’s lips twitched.
In Jin’s display, he glimpsed the youth of a man he had once deeply respected—Temar Runkandel himself.
Temar had always been like this: challenging but never arrogant, reckless yet coldly calculating. Everyone who knew Temar found him mysterious.
[You resemble him.]
“That’s not exactly a compliment I appreciate.”
Crack—!
From within the radiant heart came a sound like something breaking.
The compressed brain energy on the surface of the radiant heart twisted and tangled like thick cords, making it look as if the heart itself was shattered.
What Jin was about to unleash was the Martial Spirit Technique of the Dark King’s Sword—Ten Blades.
The final chapter of the martial spirit technique, the ultimate secret encompassing all others.
Dark King’s Sovereign Sword – Kai (Open)
When Ban taught Jin the Ten Blades technique, he explained that it wasn’t merely a killing technique designed to annihilate enemies.
The Dark King’s Sovereign Sword was a declaration and roar announcing that one had risen to the pinnacle among the Kings of Light.
Crack, snap…!
The ground beneath them split open.
The terrain twisted, and the fissure spewed brain energy like molten lava. Sharp brain energy engulfed the area so completely that breathing was nearly impossible.
This wasn’t just a figure of speech. Those unable to shield themselves from the flood of brain energy wouldn’t last even seconds before turning to ash.
Even those barely able to erect a protective barrier would soon suffocate—and that was beyond Jin’s control. Just as fire doesn’t burn what it chooses, the brain energy only spared those worthy.
Within the brain energy of the Dark King’s Sovereign Sword, only those with the proper qualifications could survive. It was a privilege reserved for those who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the strongest races on Earth.
[That’s why my brothers no longer tell me I resemble Temar, Lord Silderay.]
Jin’s voice shifted. The strange tone, as if dozens spoke at once, carried an undeniable majesty.
His eyes and hair were dyed by brain energy, glowing a deep blue. If there were a revered Brain God, this would surely be his form.
The Guardian thought so too.
But despite his thoughts, he possessed the insight not to be deceived.
[Changing your appearance to look like a transcendent being doesn’t mean you truly are one. Fascinating.]
A 10-star knight—already near the pinnacle of power by his own reckoning.
Having reached that realm, the Guardian knew what true transcendence was. It was a title granted only to those who had attained Creation.
Even with the Dark King’s Sovereign Sword manifested, to the Guardian it was merely a sudden explosion of Jin’s latent potential.
Not that it was any less impressive.
[Your openings have clearly diminished. Let’s begin again.]
Vwoooosh!
The Guardian’s greatsword unleashed sword energy once more.
The sword energy cut through the brain energy like stirring water, but by the time it reached Jin, its power had noticeably weakened.
Because it had to push against the brain energy, its strength was halved.
Similarly, Silderay’s movements were somewhat restricted.
In contrast, brain energy was more familiar to Jin than air itself while wielding the Dark King’s Sovereign Sword.
Unlike the Guardian, whose power was diminished by resisting brain energy, Jin’s sword became sharper.
The Dark King’s Sovereign Sword was not a one-time attack but a kind of awakening.
The ability to turn even a simple strike into a precise technique.
That now applied not only to the Guardian but to Jin as well.
—I told you before, brother Jin. You are kin of the Dark King’s race, his descendant, and my successor. Therefore, you need not fear anyone.
Before leaving Lafrarosa, Ban had said this after teaching Jin the Dark King’s Sovereign Sword.
She had also said she had nothing left to pass on to him.
From now on, the path forward was entirely Jin’s to carve.
Sssht, shhhk—!
The brain energy covering the battlefield trembled along the trajectory of Sigmund’s greatsword.
Sigmund and the greatsword.
Jin struck upward; the Guardian struck downward. Both swords moved so swiftly they left afterimages. When the two blades clashed, the battle took on an entirely new dimension.
A razor-thin contest.
Who would believe this was a fight between a 10-star and an 8-star?
The two swords pushed against each other with all their might, their strength so evenly matched it was impossible to say which was superior.
Impressive!
The Guardian didn’t offer such trite praise. He didn’t express delight or amazement.
Such attitudes were reserved for those far beneath his level.
He no longer needed to regard this distant, youthful “descendant” before him so lightly.
As the guardian of this tomb, he could simply acknowledge Jin as a worthy opponent for their final battle.
That meant no more frivolous confidence. Just as Jin was giving his all, so must he.
Bang! Crash! Boom!
Shockwaves shattered the pocket dimension, scattering spiritual energy like a sandstorm.
The chaotic scene, born from the mingling of brain energy, sword energy, and spiritual energy, was truly worthy of a battlefield for great warriors.
Just as Silderay was not arrogant, Jin did not become intoxicated by the fact that he was fighting on equal footing.
‘I can’t hold this for long. I have to finish this as quickly as possible.’
Brain energy surged wildly along Sigmund’s path.
For the first time, the Guardian took a step back. Jin seized the momentum, unleashing another martial spirit technique—the Three Blades Judgment—to press him further.
With the Dark King’s Sovereign Sword manifested, the power behind Judgment far exceeded what Jin could normally wield.
Three piercing blades of Judgment formed at once, rushing toward the Guardian.
The Dark King’s Sovereign Sword was only complete when all three forms—Kai (Open), Zen (Battle), and Ketsu (Conclusion)—could be unleashed.
Jin was still barely managing to manifest Kai.
Unleashing another dive device at that stage was undoubtedly a daunting task.
Yet, the reason Jin brought out the Judgment was clear.
He believed the Guardian had no blessed body.
“To land the Judgment of the Lord of the Underworld’s Reign, even Silderei must forcefully wield his aura. Even if we both suffer losses, the odds favor me.”
Jin’s assessment was spot on.
The Guardian, Silderei Runkandel, who had remained stoic and unflinching throughout, now showed a rare crease of strain on his face.
It wasn’t fear.
It was resolve.
“I will show you the legacy of the Runkandel ancestors, descendant.”
Crack!
The Judgment’s piercing spikes slammed into Silderei’s shield.
Cracks spiderwebbed instantly, and in the blink of an eye, it would shatter.
But that brief opening was all Jin needed.
To unleash one of the pinnacle techniques of Runkandel swordsmanship, forged a thousand years ago by Temar and the Ten Knights.
Runkandel Secret Technique – Silderei
“The Greatsword King.”
“…Insane!”
Jin swallowed hard as he felt the Judgment’s spikes surge with power.
The Guardian’s already massive greatsword grew monstrously—terrifyingly—huge before his eyes.
He had seen countless times how aura could extend a blade’s form during training.
But nothing like this—nothing so overwhelmingly colossal—had ever crossed his mind.
In an instant, the greatsword’s shadow soared skyward, piercing the heavens, its silhouette flickering wildly between the thunderous flashes.