Chapter 390
Episode 117: Who Is the True Runcandel? (10)
The aura of the Sovereign’s Reigning Sword grew ever more intense.
It was as if every bolt of lightning in the world was pouring down into the Garden of Blades. Amidst the shattering earth beneath the relentless storm, the shattered golden ring-shaped aura between mother and son fluttered like delicate petals.
For several seconds, Rosa said nothing, quietly gazing down at her youngest son.
Though the entire training ground lay in ruins, the seat where Rosa sat remained towering and unyielding, like a solitary ancient tree. Neither the flames of the Burning Karma nor the thunderous energy of the Sovereign’s Reigning Sword could pierce through her presence.
Just meeting Rosa’s gaze was enough to make Jin feel as if the weight of a mountain pressed down on his entire body.
Even though Rosa had yet to reveal her full strength, the sharp energy piercing through the thunderous aura was suffocating.
“She’s stronger than I ever imagined,” Jin thought with certainty.
He could say without a doubt that his mother, Rosa Runcandel—the Black Panther—was the most formidable opponent he had ever faced. Her power far exceeded anything he had anticipated.
And it had to be that way.
The figure seated on that high throne, looking down on him, was none other than the second-in-command of the great Runcandel clan.
For years, she had led the Garden of Blades in place of Siron, earning the unanimous respect of the entire family and the admiration of every sword spirit in the world. She was the second sovereign of the Runcandel dynasty.
If Jin hadn’t felt even this much pressure facing such a legendary figure, he would have been disappointed.
Slowly, Rosa rose from her seat.
Though it was only a slight increase in height, the oppressive aura multiplied many times over. Jin felt as if he were submerged underwater, his body growing heavier.
“You were careless. I never imagined you’d defeat Runtia and come all the way before me,” Rosa said in a flat voice, devoid of any emotion.
In that moment, memories of Rosa flashed through Jin’s mind like a swiftly passing landscape—memories from a past life when he recognized her not as an enemy, but as his mother.
After he was banished, she had fasted for two days. Before his exile, she had even broken family rules to pass him secret information in preparation for his becoming a sword spirit.
“Joshua must have known I was cursed from the cradle. So why…?”
Why had she treated him with such cold disdain?
Was it her last shred of maternal conscience? But Rosa Runcandel was no weak woman to be swayed by mere conscience.
He didn’t know.
He didn’t want to know, and he never would.
What mattered now was shattering that throne.
To strike a massive blow to the symbol of Runcandel’s authority—the power of the second-in-command—that Rosa currently embodied.
Sigmund’s thunderous aura deepened.
[Even I didn’t expect you to be so composed, Mother.]
“Keep talking.”
[If it were Father, he would have been more than capable of handling this.]
Rosa smiled faintly.
“I acknowledge your dazzling growth.”
[Perhaps I might even grant you a chance.]
“A chance…?”
[The entire family has witnessed my power. That means they see the possibility of Runcandel’s restoration.]
As Rosa drew her sword from its sheath, a chilling, sharp sound rang out.
[In this situation, do you truly believe the second sword spirit can become the head of the family?]
“So, you don’t want me as the second sword spirit, but rather want me to empower you?”
[No. I don’t need your strength to ascend the throne.]
Jin continued without hesitation.
[Disappear somewhere at the right time. When I become the head, there will be no place for you in the Garden of Blades.]
Despite such a fierce provocation, Rosa did not show anger.
Instead, a subtle, satisfied smile played on her lips.
Yes, you understand what it means to be Runcandel—that look said.
It was both an acknowledgment of Jin’s strength and a hint that he was still no match for her.
“I will shatter that arrogant notion of yours,” Jin vowed through clenched teeth.
Blood tinged his mouth. Having unleashed both the Burning Karma and the Sovereign’s Reigning Sword, the risk of backlash was imminent.
Rosa knew this well and remained composed.
She also believed that, having come this far, Jin had already won.
By displaying such overwhelming power before the entire family, he had introduced a significant and undeniable variable into the succession of the family head.
Perhaps the clan would plunge into uncontrollable chaos.
From the moment Jin returned, from the moment Siron forgave him, Rosa had foreseen that this day would come.
“You’ve gained much, yet your greed blinds you,” she thought.
Raising her sword, Rosa spoke.
“Come up here, my son.”
Her beloved blade, “Frenzy,” glowed with dazzling light—a beacon shining through the storm of blue thunder.
Chunks of shattered rock, broken by Rosa’s aura, floated upward like bubbles, disintegrating in midair.
Slowly, Jin began to step forward.
The moment he took his first step, everyone gathered there felt a new, ominous tension pressing down on their shoulders.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
The entire Garden of Blades began to quake in rhythm with Jin’s footsteps.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Amid the intense noise of thunderous energy, a deep, resonant rumble stood out.
This earthquake was the herald of a transformation in the Sovereign’s Reigning Sword.
It was the war march of the sovereigns—a battle cry only those who inherit Sigmund can summon.
Sovereign Sword Spirit Technique, Tenth Sword, Second Form: Sovereign’s Reigning Sword – War
Kai (開): The roar announcing that one has risen to the pinnacle among the kings of light.
This was merely the initial surge of energy before the battle began.
Only when the second form of the sword spirit technique, War, was unleashed would the sword embody the solemn will to annihilate the enemy.
Rosa’s eyes widened.
Again, and even more so.
Witnessing the overwhelming surge of Jin’s thunderous aura was a shock even to her.
“So much power still remains…!”
Incomprehensible.
That was the first word that came to Rosa’s mind.
After decades as a warrior, she had never seen anything like this.
Despite his body being on the verge of backlash, Jin was unleashing power far beyond anything he had shown before.
But Jin, her youngest son, was human.
As a human, he could not escape the laws of the world without paying a price.
Rosa immediately understood what Jin had staked.
His life.
“To risk death just to shatter the symbol of my throne? After gaining so much?”
Even without breaking her throne, Jin had already gained immeasurable things today.
Even if he fell now, when he awoke, countless sword spirits would be ready to pledge their loyalty.
Yet he was willing to risk his life. What on earth…
At that thought, Rosa clenched her teeth.
The disdain she had felt moments ago, the judgment she had made with a smile—“Yes, you understand what Runcandel is”—was wrong. It was arrogance.
“This is what Runcandel truly is, Mother.”
Like someone eternally thirsty for battle, never retreating when it’s time to fight.
A spirit so fierce it makes even clearly stronger foes hesitate.
A force that defies the very notion that the fight is over, creating miracles that deny defeat.
This was what Jin believed, what the old Runcandel warriors believed Runcandel to be.
Suddenly, as if millions of migratory birds had taken flight, black clouds engulfed the sky.
Beneath those ominous clouds, only the sovereigns and those who ruled above them could remain unscathed.
Krrrrr…!
An absurd storm of lightning rained down.
Thousands of thunderbolts struck the ground without warning, a tidal wave of thunderous energy ravaging the Garden of Blades.
Everywhere, sword spirits and elders unleashed their ultimate techniques with desperate faces, fighting to protect the knights from this calamity.
Yet even the dozen or so ultimate techniques combined seemed like mere feeble struggles against the countless lightning strikes.
Could this still be called a sword?
Or was it more fitting to call it divine power?
The sword spirits defending against the lightning felt as if trapped in a long, dark nightmare.
They could hardly believe their eyes—that this horrific storm had begun with the Twelve Sword Spirits.
Even Rosa, who had remained composed until now, was wildly swinging her blade in frenzy.
Each arc of her sword erased a cluster of thunder, but the clouds only grew more ferocious, spewing more lightning.
Amid the chaos, Jin strode forward steadily.
Like a king walking through his own domain, he advanced toward Rosa.
Sigmund resonated with a powerful hum.
Its blade aimed straight for Rosa’s neck.
The proud figure she once held was gone, replaced by a mother raging in madness—a sight that left a bitter taste.
It was time to bring this declaration to its climax.
Clack!
As Jin raised Sigmund, as if by magic—
The thunder ceased.
The lightning that had roared like the end of the world vanished all at once.
Like people waking from a nightmare, the sword spirits around looked around in stunned silence.
But the thunder had not disappeared.
The thunder was simply converging rapidly toward Sigmund’s blade. So many lightning strikes were being swallowed effortlessly by a single sword.
It was a sight none had ever witnessed before.
But they all knew what would happen next. That pale blade, having devoured every last one of those devilish lightning strikes, was now about to fall upon Rosa.
The distance between the two standing face to face was short.
Jin struck honestly, driving her sword straight into Rosa’s center.
There was no way Rosa could dodge this blow. As the second-in-command of Runcandel, her only choice was to meet it head-on.
Thud…!
The moment Sigmund clashed with the frenzy, a blood vessel burst in Rosa’s eye. Her eyes instantly reddened, narrowing and widening in spasms.
Though it was tears of blood, it was the first time anyone had seen Rosa cry.
The seat of honor where she had sat—the ground that had stood alone, towering—crumbled pitifully, as if crushed beneath a giant’s finger.
“I am Jin Runcandel, of the 12th Order.”
Just before her consciousness faded, Jin barely managed to finish her final words.
“I will become the lord…”
As Jin collapsed, Rosa coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.
The Sword Ghosts, staring at her pale face and the fallen Jin, were overwhelmed by a strange sense of dissonance, as if reality itself was unraveling.