Chapter 336
Episode 104: Debt, Debt, and More Debt (3)
The barrier’s cracks had nearly split open, revealing the dimension on the other side. It was another secret space belonging to the Myoin tribe.
Still, the full form of the Wraith Corps remained unseen.
“Just hold on a little longer…!”
In his haste, Jin hadn’t yet completed the Fiery Curse.
If the Wraith Corps entered the cave even five seconds—or no, just three seconds—before the Fiery Curse was fully formed, Jin would almost certainly be the first to be attacked.
He was certain of it.
If that happened, it meant defeat. Assuming the enemy was three late-stage 9-star mages.
For warriors of that caliber, three seconds was enough time to kill their opponent ten times over. Especially someone like Jin, who was currently vulnerable while unleashing his ultimate technique.
He had to focus. Maintaining composure in moments like this was one of Jin’s greatest strengths.
Within the veil of spiritual energy, Jin’s eyes burned with flames. Flickering fire spread from his body, like a wild beast bound by loose shackles. The moment Jin lifted the veil, those flames would surge forth, engulfing the enemies in all directions.
Time seemed to slow.
As his heartbeat thundered in his ears, the magical energy to complete the Fiery Curse flowed smoothly and powerfully along the runes etched across Jin’s body.
The Wraith Corps’ magic was growing ever more immense.
Jin could feel the sheer amount of power they were pouring into breaking the barrier—even inside the veil, his face tingled from the intensity.
Crackle, crackle, shatter…!
The sounds of Jin’s flames spreading and the barrier’s shattering explosions mixed chaotically.
KRAAAASH!
The barrier’s rupture sent a deafening roar echoing through Jin’s mind.
“They’re coming!”
At last, the Wraith Corps appeared. Their forms were blurred, distorted by the veil and the broken barrier.
Jin gripped his sword tightly.
Fortunately…
The Fiery Curse was complete. Before they arrived.
Flames engulfed Jin’s body, seeping in until he became fire itself. The blaze in his eyes burned even fiercer, and his hair turned into flickering flames.
“I’ll repay the debt from back then, Wraith Corps.”
Jin often thought back to that day at Veradin’s villa, when he fled leaving only Misha behind.
He wondered if he had been stronger, maybe he could have fought alongside Misha.
Though it wasn’t shameful for a Rune Candelle apprentice to flee against fifteen Wraith Corps members, Jin still felt a sting of humiliation recalling that day.
It was time to erase that feeling.
Rune Candelle’s Magic Sword Secret Technique
Fiery Curse – Sara Rune Candelle
When Jin inherited this sword technique from Sara, he had liked the name “Fiery Curse” very much.
Looking back on all the atrocities the Jiple had committed, there was no name more fitting than burning them all to ashes.
KRAAAASH…!
Sharp flames tore through the veil and spilled outward.
The moment the Wraith Corps crossed the barrier, they were forced to widen their eyes in shock at the fire.
“Hah!”
One of the Wraith Corps gasped and hastily raised a protective shield. The shield trembled unstably, flickering with the flames.
It looked as if the shield would shatter at any moment. At first glance, it seemed unable to withstand the Fiery Curse’s power, but Jin inwardly clicked his tongue.
“Surviving that with a shield that wasn’t even fully formed?”
Few mages in the world could manage that. Especially since the Wraith Corps had just spent a massive amount of magic breaking through the barrier.
Of course, the Fiery Curse was only just beginning.
KRAAAASH!
Jin let out a fierce roar, raising his aura and magic to the next level. He completely erased the remaining veil of spiritual energy, releasing the flames trapped within.
The fire spread like a tidal wave. The cave instantly transformed into a burning hellscape, and the Wraith Corps’ shields were swallowed whole by the flames, their magical glow vanishing.
The cave’s rocks melted away.
The Fiery Curse technique bore a strong resemblance to Ban’s Dark King’s Reign Sword in many ways.
Instead of lightning, fire covered every inch, creating a space where those unskilled enough to reach mastery couldn’t even breathe.
In fact, a thousand years ago, Sara’s magic sword was completed largely thanks to Temar’s advice, which was inspired by Ban’s Dark King’s Reign Sword.
All the fire filling the cave poured down on the Wraith Corps.
“Damn it!”
One of the Wraith Corps mages shouted in panic. To Jin, that voice sounded incredibly sweet.
Even though it was an ambush, the fact that the Fiery Curse was effective against three Wraith Corps members sent shivers down his spine.
Growth always came with a thrill.
“They can’t shield all of this.”
Crackle!
Amidst the sea of red flames, a single blue spark flickered.
The Fiery Curse was originally a martial art enhanced by the power of the Phoenix.
Sara, as a guardian in the second tomb, couldn’t use the Phoenix Manier, but Jin had Tess.
KRAAAAH!
As a single blue flame opened a portal to the fire dimension, a sharp yet heavy roar echoed, revealing the King of the Phoenixes.
The power symbolizing the blue flame, the weight, and Tess.
With that power added to the Fiery Curse, the Wraith Corps mage groaned in pain. The moment Jin heard that groan, he was certain.
He could kill them.
Like the aura shields or sword barriers of warriors, once a mage’s shield was broken, it was nearly impossible to hold onto a “next” shield.
They didn’t possess the strong bodies of master warriors.
So once their bodies took direct damage, their magical abilities would plummet.
Victory was within reach.
“They’ll overexert their magic trying to stop the burning, and fall into backlash.”
Just as death is an absolute truth for all humans, reckless magic use inevitably leads to backlash. Even the Wraith Corps couldn’t escape that law.
Still, Jin assumed the Wraith Corps had a strong ability to quickly recover from backlash.
“Not as good as my master, but the Wraith Corps should be able to stabilize their magic within five seconds of initial backlash symptoms.”
He would cut their throats before they could recover.
Quickly, Jin searched for the Wraith Corps mages through the flames. Since their arrival, he had only seen their blurred forms and sensed their auras, never clearly seeing their gray robes.
He was attacking based solely on their energy and vague silhouettes.
“The moment their energy fades from backlash, I’ll strike and finish this. I don’t have much time left either.”
Jin was also on the edge of backlash. Using such a massive technique suddenly, combined with the veil of spiritual energy, it was surprising he hadn’t suffered backlash yet.
But time was on his side.
Before a minute passed, he felt the Wraith Corps’ magic weaken significantly.
The aura that had once made his face tingle dropped to the level of an ordinary mage.
Backlash had begun.
Jin stepped deeper into the flames. Tess exhaled a breath of oppressive fire before him, and the Fiery Curse’s flames gently parted, forming a path.
Step by step, Jin advanced, while the Wraith Corps mages tried to hide within the fire.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have moved.”
Ssshhh!
Jin shot a blade of sword energy toward the source of a movement, speaking with a cold smile.
Screech!
The sword energy sliced through flesh and bone, a sharp sensation at his fingertips.
The Wraith Corps swallowed their groans desperately, but it was meaningless.
Their positions were exposed, and the fight was over.
Whoosh!
Jin’s eyes blazed with fire as he lunged toward the direction of his sword energy.
“I’ve got the advantage, but there are three of them. No time to drag this out—finish it fast.”
The Wraith Corps had only five seconds to suppress their magic backlash. Jin had to kill all three within that window.
Thud!
Sigmund’s blade pierced the chest of a Wraith Corps mage.
“Ugh!”
A death cry was all that remained. The mage was consumed by the flames surrounding Sigmund, reduced to ashes.
It was a pitiful end for one of Jiple’s elite secret mages—almost unbelievable.
That only proved how incredible Jin was.
Except for Luna, no other brother could have achieved such a result in the same situation.
Even if it was an ambush, the enemy was the Wraith Corps.
“Now, the other two.”
Jin took a short breath. His body, engulfed in flames, was growing unbearably hot, and backlash was about to begin.
Three seconds left.
Enough time to find the two grand mages caught in backlash and cut their throats.
But just as he was about to move again, Jin felt a strange unease.
“What’s this? I only killed one, but all the remaining Wraith Corps magic—however faint—has vanished.”
He quickly searched through the flames.
For some reason, he couldn’t find the other two phantoms—only the one who had died was there.
“Where did they disappear to all of a sudden? There’s no way they went back through the barrier… That overwhelming magic must have belonged to the one phantom who died…”
Jin suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“Could it be that it wasn’t the combined power of all three…!?”
The one Jin had killed was just one of the three phantoms.
The other two were still breaking through the barrier of the secret lair of the other Myoin tribe and had just entered the cave.
Jin had mistaken the magic of the single phantom he ambushed and killed for the combined power of all three.
Krrrrr…!
Suddenly, from beyond the shattered barrier, a powerful surge of magic was felt once again.
A chill ran down his spine as he turned his head and saw the other two phantoms stepping through the broken barrier.
“This is insane…”
Unlike the phantom who had just died, those two had already confirmed that the flames of the cursed fire were spreading inside the cave from beyond the barrier.
It made sense—they could sense the cursed fire’s energy and presence clearly, as it wasn’t hidden behind the veil of spiritual energy.
“Hah, looks like Rokai got taken out. Here—this is his staff.”
“The fire is dying down. The one who killed Rokai probably isn’t in good shape either. He couldn’t have gotten far. Before we track down those insect-like beastmen, we should go after him first…”
Jin’s gaze met that of the phantom mages.
“There’s no need for that, Jin Runkandel. So you’re the one who killed Rokai.”
Beneath their gray hoods, the phantom mages’ lips curled into smirks.