Episode 482
Chapter 134: Duel on the Ship (4)
Zzt, zzt!
Mary felt as if thousands, even tens of thousands of needles were piercing her skin, struck by the electric aura Jin was radiating.
“He’s only drawing out his energy, and yet just standing opposite me exudes this kind of pressure? Jin…!”
Within the vast, blue-veined electric aura, Jin’s eyes blazed with a murderous light. Meeting his gaze made her swallow dryly.
Her blood boiled wildly. Though her life had been filled with battles and wars, fights that stirred her heart this fiercely were rare.
“Ugh!”
Even Cosmos, standing some distance away, staggered backward under the weight of Jin’s energy.
Fortunately, being a sturdy brawler, he only faltered slightly, but the other nearby pirates had already evacuated to the far end of the deck.
The hot, sharp electric aura even spread to the spectators along the ship’s railings. Thankfully, their comrades had erected protective shields in advance, preventing any harm to the audience.
The waves churned violently under the influence of the energy.
The sea breeze, charged with electric particles, flashed brilliantly in all directions, resembling a miniature starry night sky spread over the fleet.
If Jin chose to unleash this energy fully, not only would the fleet and pirates be obliterated, but even the spectators behind the shields could be caught in the disaster.
“Impressive! Lord Jin! The Sword of the Underworld! The swords once wielded by the mightiest beings on Earth are now displayed before you all!”
Despite the danger, Cosmos was visibly excited, continuing his commentary, and the audience had no intention of leaving.
They didn’t want to miss the greatest spectacle of their lives just because it was a little risky.
Hoo!
After steadying her breath, Mary was the first to move. She hadn’t stayed still for Jin’s sake, but to read the flow of his electric aura and find an opening.
Unlike Aura, she couldn’t fully grasp the flow, but waiting passively would only mean facing a perfectly prepared attack.
“Has he reached a new level since the Garden of Swords? Or is this something different from that sword? The energy is being released, yet the fleet remains unscathed. No need to call this a disqualification.”
Mary found this the strangest phenomenon born from Jin’s electric aura.
Despite the sea’s turmoil and the powerful energy reaching the stands, not a single crack had appeared on the deck.
Either way, Mary had no choice but to stay alert and press forward.
Fzzzt!
The moment she stepped into the denser electric aura, her whole body felt as if it was being torn apart.
Mary pushed back with the power of her volcanic aura, but overall, Jin’s energy was stronger.
It was as if she were moving underwater—her movements sluggish and constrained.
“At least it seems the youngest sibling is also struggling to move properly while maintaining this energy.”
Mary edged closer, but Jin remained statue-still, unmoving.
He intended to end this in one breath.
It wasn’t just Jin’s decision. Mary also knew that if the fight dragged on, she would be at a disadvantage. That’s why she launched her lightning-fast thrust from the start.
Like rising water, the electric aura thickened with every step closer.
It was hard to believe she had just seen Jin’s blazing eyes from outside; inside the electric sphere, everything was a deep, hazy blue.
Now, the distance between them was about ten paces.
Mary stopped, as if satisfied, and didn’t close the gap further. Instead, like Jin, she settled into a stance and began focusing her mind.
“What… what’s happening inside the electric sphere?!”
Goooooo…!
Aura bloomed like smoke, pushing back the electric energy and creating a space. A hole opened in one side of the electric hemisphere, revealing Mary inside to the spectators.
What followed was a whirlwind.
Centered on the serpent-shaped blade, a massive aura spun in a cross-shaped vortex. As the vortex rotated, the space inside the electric sphere around Mary expanded.
At that moment, Jin felt a cold blade graze the back of his neck, sending a chill through his body.
“So, my sister intends to end this in an instant as well.”
Fortunately, Mary still mistook Jin’s electric aura for a form of the Sword of the Underworld or a comparable technique.
“That’s why she’s trying to match strength with strength.”
Just as Mary didn’t realize Jin’s technique was no mere trick, Jin didn’t know what sword Mary was about to unleash.
“Right now, her stance means she’s going for a thrust.”
He could predict she was about to launch her lightning-fast thrust again.
But it couldn’t be just that. Even if it was a volcanic-enhanced lightning thrust, she wouldn’t finish with a failed technique.
His grip tightened on Sigmund.
He fixed his eyes, ready to catch the serpent’s movement. The outcome would be decided in that moment.
“This sword is for you, little brother.”
Mary’s shoulders tensed.
The scene unfolded like a slow-motion replay. Focusing all her senses, she barely managed not to miss the moment.
Rune Candle’s Fifth Secret Technique:
Lightning-Fast Thrust.
Though the trajectory avoided direct damage to the ship, the second lightning-fast thrust was incomparably more powerful than the first.
The electric hemisphere tore apart, scattering countless blue particles in all directions. It was like a million shards of glass shattering at once, distorting vision.
Electric particles rained down like a storm.
Even Jin’s comrades couldn’t immediately tell if Jin had dodged the thrust or not.
But the lightning-fast thrust wasn’t over.
Determined, this was her final duel with her beloved younger brother before leaving on her mission. Mary resolved to pour everything into this attack.
Twice.
The volcanic lightning-fast thrust wasn’t a one-time move.
Shhhhk!
A delayed sound of something breaking echoed, revealing the continuous thrusts.
“She’s unleashed the lightning-fast thrust three times…!?”
This was unexpected for Jin.
But not unavoidable. No matter how incredible or fast the thrusts were, they had to be executed without damaging the fleet or the ship.
Because the thrusts encroached almost simultaneously from left and right, Jin’s space to move was extremely limited.
The center.
Even the center wasn’t safe. The two streaks of lightning-fast thrusts passing through the air caused constant aftershocks in the central space.
Amid the electric particles and the literally cutting wind, Jin barely kept his balance.
“The two lightning-fast thrusts are just a means to pin me down.”
Now, Jin had no way to evade.
Because the thrusts ravaged the left and right airspace, the siblings stood as if on a narrow bridge, facing each other one-on-one.
Light spread.
The flashes and afterimages left by the lightning-fast thrusts, the scattered brilliance from the shattered electric aura, filled the space densely between them.
And Mary was charging forward.
Like a beast cornering its prey on a single remaining path, Mary ran straight down the only way left.
The central path where the two stood was Mary’s true stage for this duel.
“You really are fiery.”
Truly magnificent.
Mary’s volcanic aura shone even brighter than before. Its light crushed other glimmers, growing larger and closing in on Jin.
Jin hadn’t predicted Mary would create this situation. Usually, when predictions fail, it’s a disadvantage.
But for Jin, this was exactly the scenario he wanted most: an unavoidable one-on-one.
To achieve this, he scattered his electric aura meaninglessly, pretending to wield the Sword of the Underworld with even more finesse than during the declaration of the Gaju.
The electric particles that once formed a hemisphere, now shattered and sparkling, were merely a distraction to cloud her vision.
They were completely illusory.
As Mary, bathed in volcanic light, closed in, Jin relaxed his grip on Sigmund.
The pale blade fell limply, and the moment it touched the deck, it exploded with electric energy and ricocheted somewhere.
“What!?”
Mary flinched for a moment. Naturally, she had expected her younger brother to unleash the Sword of the Underworld or something equivalent.
“Did this brat lower his sword out of fear I might kill him…? He wasn’t that soft before!”
Of course, she didn’t want to kill her youngest sibling either. He was someone she wanted to compete with and fight alongside forever.
“Right, he once told me that during his fight with Dante Hyland in the arena, he softened his sword at a critical moment.”
Even if Jin had backed down, Mary had no intention of doing so. This wasn’t Rune Candle.
Just before plunging the serpent into her youngest brother’s chest, Mary felt a deep disappointment.
Compared to his declaration during the Gaju, this weak, hesitant behavior was incomprehensible.
The fourth lightning-fast thrust.
That was the sword she chose.
Originally, she had planned a different technique—an unfinished secret art to pay respect to her youngest brother.
“If it’s going to be like this, you need a lesson too. As your sister, I’ll remind you once more!”
The lightning-fast thrust cutting across the center would surely damage the ship.
“…But I’m not without my own soft spots, just like you.”
Family love.
The two people Mary felt the closest bond with were Diffus and Jin. That’s why, under the pretense of teaching Jin a lesson, she intended to strike at Jin’s sanctuary.
But she planned to unleash her fourth lightning-fast thrust carefully—avoiding any irreversible damage. Of course, once the fight was over, she fully intended to beat Jin nearly to death.
She also made sure not to kill Jin with the lightning-fast strike. She was going to gauge Jin’s condition and hold back her sword accordingly.
Yet, it was precisely this arrogance that Mary only realized after hearing a certain sound.
Shing!
The sharp, chilling whistle of a blade slicing through the air.
For a moment, Mary had forgotten what kind of person her youngest sibling really was—and that he wielded two cursed swords.
Her heart had softened because she loved her youngest so much, even in a situation like this. But the world of combat is always ruthless, isn’t it?
“You tricked me…!”
The sword Jin had been hiding, masked by meaningless bursts of energy all around, was none other than the Seventh Form of the Spirit Sword: Shadow Assault.