Episode 463
Chapter 131: Those with Good Instincts, Those Without (7)
Ssssh!
The moment Amela finished speaking, razor-sharp blades shot out from the swirling mist behind her. Jin and Murakan, as if expecting this, easily dodged without much trouble.
‘I knew she’d have some qualities like Yona noona, but she seems even crazier than I thought.’
The blades embedded themselves where Jin and Murakan had just been standing. Judging by how the ground seemed to slice like water, it was clear this wasn’t just a threatening attack—it was meant to cause real damage.
Murakan reflexively prepared to counterattack but stopped himself. Jin’s earlier words echoed in his mind: until they could communicate with Amela, they should focus solely on defense and evasion.
‘Ugh, damn it! Just dodging is so frustrating.’
Within less than five seconds, over a hundred blades rained down, all aimed at Jin and Murakan.
And Amela controlled the entire assault with nothing more than a subtle glance and a slight flick of her hand, sitting calmly in place.
‘She’s like a goddess of this space or something.’
Jin swatted away a blade flying straight at his face. The shattered fragments didn’t fall to the ground but instead spun back toward him.
This wasn’t something that could be done with just aura or magic. It required a special kind of power—some form of divine authority, or perhaps the chaotic force itself.
[Hmph, dodging, huh? Not bad. Let’s see how long you can keep that up!]
The number of blades suddenly doubled, pressing in from all directions, surrounding Jin and Murakan.
Even after dodging or breaking every single one barehanded, Amela stomped her foot in frustration.
The entire space trembled, unstable as if it might collapse at any moment, and the blades multiplied again—now numbering around five hundred.
Ssssh!
Even someone like Jin couldn’t dodge or deflect that many blades with his bare hands, so he drew Sigmund.
[See? You can’t just keep holding back when you get pissed off.]
“Calm down. I only drew this to defend, so hold on a little longer.”
Swish—! The five hundred blades shot forward simultaneously, momentarily obscuring Jin and Murakan from view.
But in the next instant, Jin unleashed a combination of the Infernal Sword’s Waterfall Slash and the Lightning Strike, shattering every single blade.
From the moment they first entered this space to now, breaking through Amela’s blades so easily left her visibly shaken.
‘Why aren’t they affected? Why aren’t they going crazy?’
She still didn’t know that the men before her were Jin Runkandel and the Black Dragon Murakan, the 12 Riders of Runkandel, nor was she aware of the chaos they’d recently unleashed upon the world.
In other words, Amela was truly indifferent to worldly affairs—just as Valeria from her past life had described.
“I am Amela, the mercenary. And I am Jin Runkandel, the 12th Rider of Runkandel.”
[You’re one of Runkandel’s people?]
“Yes.”
[Still, I won’t let you live.]
Outside, the cursed battles between Ziphl and Kinzello, and the imperial army, had already claimed thousands of lives. If Amela cared about the aftermath, she wouldn’t have done such things in the first place.
“You’re even more ruthless than the rumors said.”
As soon as she spoke, the shapes of the floating blades began to blur and shift.
In an instant, the blades transformed into something resembling cannons.
‘Cannons?’
The muzzles, like those seen only in large-scale wars, all aimed directly at Jin and Murakan.
Bam! Boom… Bam…!
Unlike ordinary cannons, these were made of blades and didn’t need ammunition. Amela’s will continuously formed and fired the projectiles without pause.
The barrage hammered their protective shields relentlessly, making it nearly impossible to see.
Without Bradamante’s spirit armor, breaking through this barrage would require a divine weapon, a decisive technique, or something equivalent.
‘But that would put Lord Rata and Fei in danger.’
Bubar felt like a mere spirit without a physical form, and even if damaged, it wasn’t something to worry about. But whether Amela would protect her beloved “toys” even in extreme situations was uncertain.
‘I wanted to resolve this with the Infernal Sword if possible, even if it meant subduing her by force.’
Aura.
Jin had drawn Sigmund instead of Bradamante out of habit—to avoid revealing his aura weapon unnecessarily—but also because of experience.
—I lose control when I see aura weapons. You don’t have to feel bad since I never explained it. Heh, I thought the youngest would keep that power hidden from me until he became a Rider…
Back when Yona first saw Jin’s aura weapon during his Rider training, she nearly killed her beloved little brother on the spot.
Amela might not react the same way, but it was better to be cautious. After all, Jin had come here to make her an ally.
Still, at this point, Jin had no choice. He never imagined the conversation would be this impossible.
The barrage suddenly stopped.
Not because Amela was tired, but to check if Jin and Murakan were finished.
[So annoying, so persistent! If I show this much effort, shouldn’t you be dead by now?]
Of course, the two stood perfectly fine. Their aura shields were shredded worse than old rags, crumbling and falling apart.
Jin and Amela locked eyes.
“You say you’re trying, but you look far too comfortable. You’re not even breathing evenly.”
Jin and Murakan had used up energy to maintain their shields, but Amela’s blades, despite firing so many cannon shots, showed no signs of depletion.
[That’s right. My power here is infinite. So why don’t we stop wasting energy and just end this? And just so you know, that weird lightning sword of yours can’t even hurt me.]
Suddenly, a dagger formed in Amela’s grasp.
‘Interesting. So she can form anything from these blades. And here, no less. As I suspected, some special effect must be granting her temporarily transcendent power.’
Without hesitation, Amela slashed off her own left wrist with the dagger.
But the wrist protruding from her thorny cloak didn’t bleed—it emitted smoke-like mist from the wound and immediately began regenerating.
“You’re quite resilient, Lady Amela.”
Murakan shook his head in disbelief.
“Usually, that kind of super-regeneration is for inner demons or fiends. Now even humans are doing this? Hey, Amela, you’re gonna get yourself killed if you keep relying on that.”
[If this drags on, you’re the ones who’ll die anyway. I’m just trying to give you a comfortable chance to go out. And I’d like you to stop disturbing my precious time with my darlings.]
“I’ve shown you all the respect I can, Amela. So let me ask you one last thing. Among those currently on Gaipa Island, is there any faction allied with you?”
Outside, the giant Bubar figure controlled by Amela and the four major factions were still fighting, but Jin asked deliberately.
Judging by her personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if she kept attacking even after forming an alliance, demanding payment for the trouble.
[Why do you care?]
“I came here to recruit you, just like those outside. I heard you wander the world, exploring and searching for something. I suspect it’s related to this murky energy—the chaos.”
[You know about chaos?]
“Not really.”
[Then we can’t be friends.]
Jin’s gaze shifted to the spirit of Bubar, who was punching the air and breathing heavily.
“So, you’ve become friends with Bubar Gaston?”
He asked gently, as if speaking to a child. Until recently, Jin thought Bubar had been captured along with Kinzello.
But unlike the Prochi siblings, Bubar seemed to exist only as a spirit, making Jin wonder if that wasn’t the case.
‘Kinzello probably knows far more about chaos than I do. And Bubar, who looks like a spirit, might be a form of chaos or one of its fragments, possibly amplifying Amela’s power.’
Amela hesitated before nodding.
[Something like that.]
She seemed reluctantly to admit it. She had no choice but to ally with him because of the chaos information, though she didn’t really want to get close.
Jin’s eyes darkened.
“So, you’re affiliated with Kinzello.”
[I’m not sure about that… Wait, why am I being interrogated like this? You could just kill me!]
“Exactly why I asked, mercenary Amela.”
Crack, crackle…!
Suddenly, the ground beneath Jin cracked. As he drew his energy, the air grew heavy and oppressive.
Bradamante’s radiant blade slid from its sheath.
From the start, Jin hadn’t come here with the intention of ‘definitely recruiting’ Amela.
—I must recruit her. If that’s impossible, I need to keep her firmly in check.
As he told Valkas, he was prepared for the possibility that she might become an enemy.
Containment—that decision would be based on her power and abilities.
Whether to kill her, spare her, or simply neutralize her so she can’t lead the enemy’s vanguard into battle—whether to even bother restraining her at all.
With abilities like hers, the answer was obvious: the first option.
If the day ever came when Runcandel faced Kinzello in all-out war, and Amela stepped onto the battlefield wielding nearly limitless power like she does now—
How many in Runcandel would die then? To prevent such a future, Amela had to be eliminated.
“Though you came to my land and were not welcomed with open arms, I bear you no ill will. Even if you had declined my offer with more courtesy, had you chosen to side with my enemies, my decision would remain unchanged. I see no reason for mutual hatred.”
Whoooosh!
Bradamante’s blade darkened, suffused with spiritual energy.
At that moment, Amela’s eyes widened in shock.
“Spiritual energy!? Could it be… the author is—no, Soldieret’s…!”
Already reacting hastily to Jin’s movement, she had begun firing her cannon.
But Jin, clad in spiritual energy armor, pushed through the barrage unscathed and swung Bradamante at Amela.