Chapter 483
Episode 134: Duel on the Ship (5)
Mary’s venomous strike had already been launched forward.
Though the exact point of contact was set, and only the tips of the sword and the aura had touched, her sharp, blue-tinged vision suddenly cleared.
“Damn it!”
The youngest sibling, who had been hidden behind the aura, was nowhere to be seen.
There was no such fool as the youngest brother who, out of some unnecessary kindness, would lower his sword rather than kill his beloved sister.
“Where are you?!”
Realizing her mistake, she clenched her teeth in shock, just like anyone would. A chilling sensation, hard to describe, sliced through her entire body.
If she didn’t withdraw her sword, she would die.
Her instincts screamed this warning. Years of battle experience confirmed the danger.
The aura would inevitably backflow, but she had to pull back the sword—no matter what—to locate the youngest sibling first.
A lightning-fast thrust, a sword piercing the sky. Naturally, withdrawing such a powerful strike would provoke a tremendous backlash.
Kraaah!
Changing her movement, Mary let out a fierce cry. The grip on her sword, her arm, shoulder, even the muscles and bones of her waist and lower body, all trembled as if about to shatter.
She pulled back.
The lightning-fast thrust that had been tearing through the aura stopped as if by magic. The aura surged back like a wave, and flashing lights distorted her vision.
Turning her body backward in an instant, Mary realized that the energy nearby wasn’t just aura.
Black veils.
What the hemisphere of aura had been hiding was actually spiritual energy. From the start, Jin had only spread the aura to conceal the veil of spiritual energy used for his Shadow Assault.
Throwing the withdrawn venomous strike in all directions, Mary secured her sight. Every time the aura lifted, the black veils appeared momentarily.
“Four… no, seven of them!”
She expected dark sword energies to shoot out at any moment.
But the veils just floated silently, showing no other movement. Instead, Mary turned her body sideways.
“There you are!”
Jin was rushing in. Every time the aura flashed, every blink of his eyes, the distance between them shrank—alongside the pitch-black Bradamante.
Swoosh!
At last, Bradamante and the venomous strike clashed.
Or so it seemed. Despite her internal injuries, Mary displayed monstrous strength, perfectly reacting to Jin’s ambush.
But the venomous strike sliced through empty air. The massive fan-shaped sword energy pierced through the aura, soared skyward, then vanished.
Mary was once again thrown off.
“He was definitely right in front of me…!”
Like a ghost or through teleportation, the youngest sibling who had been about to clash blades was somehow now pressing his sword against her back.
The shadows spreading near them were a kind of ‘gate’—a passage only Jin, who used Shadow Assault, could traverse.
That was why Jin could catch Mary’s back again—he had slipped through the veil just before their blades met.
“So, sister, you really are a monster.”
Blood splattered.
It was Mary’s blood. Bradamante, aiming for her neck, barely grazed her shoulder.
“I thought at least my shoulder would be wrecked.”
The venomous strike also brushed Jin’s cheek. Because of the aura and spiritual veils, the fight was now completely invisible from the outside.
But everyone could hear it—the deafening clash of swords, the siblings’ fierce shouts and battle cries.
And everyone instinctively knew: when the aura and spiritual energy settled, the one still standing would be the victor.
Kaaah!
Every time Mary roared, the hemisphere of aura trembled as if about to tear apart. Jin unleashed a storm of attacks to prevent his sister from regaining strength.
“If I give her even a moment’s opening, who knows what technique she’ll pull out next.”
Just before Mary launched her fourth lightning-fast thrust, Jin felt an inexplicable foreboding.
The sword technique she was about to use wasn’t her usual secret skill, but an unfinished ‘Oath’ move. Though he didn’t know this consciously, his instincts warned him of the danger—just like Mary’s.
He had to press the attack relentlessly, so Mary wouldn’t even imagine there was one more trick left.
Huff, huff!
Mary wasn’t the only one breathing heavily. Jin’s stamina was draining too.
Though he hadn’t unleashed the true Sovereign’s Reign Sword, he had rapidly expended an aura comparable to it, so exhaustion was inevitable. In fact, Mary was slightly better off physically.
Jin gritted his teeth and roared.
“It’s about time to start. How are you still holding on?”
What he was waiting for was none other than the backlash.
“No matter how much she’s my sister, there’s no way her body could be fine after withdrawing a lightning-fast thrust like that.”
Guhk!
Before the thought even finished, Mary spat out blood and bent at the waist.
The moment to end the duel had arrived.
Jin advanced straight at Mary, throwing Bradamante forward. Mary summoned her last reserves of focus to read the youngest sibling’s attack path.
The diagonal upward swing of Bradamante aimed for Mary’s neck.
She almost missed the trajectory but managed to raise her sword in time to block it.
That much was expected by Jin. He figured a superhuman like Mary would naturally be able to do that.
“Yet, you counterattack in the middle of it…!”
But he hadn’t expected her to not only block but also counterattack.
Well, to be precise, Mary hadn’t exactly ‘blocked’ Jin’s final strike.
Spirit Sword Technique No. 2: Scissors.
Jin’s last trick. The black blade of the scissors formed on the opposite side of the diagonal Bradamante had drawn.
In the end, Mary couldn’t block the final black blade of the scissors.
Shhhk…!
The blade formed from spiritual energy grazed Mary’s face.
What it cut was the pirate’s eyepatch she wore. Had it been her neck instead, it would have been a clean slice.
“It’s over, sister.”
From the start, Jin had predicted victory the moment Mary withdrew her lightning-fast thrust. Still, he hadn’t let his guard down until the very end.
Because his opponent was Mary Runcandel.
But the fact that Mary counterattacked at the last moment would haunt Jin as a chilling memory for a long time.
Mary Runcandel, the family’s Seventh Pillar. Regardless of rank or status, she was the most formidable opponent all her siblings risked their lives to fight.
As the mist cleared, the aura and spiritual energy that had covered the battlefield vanished in an instant.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a stream of water fell from the sky. Behind Jin, a massive wall of water formed by the sea splitting apart poured down.
That was the trace left by Mary’s final counterattack.
“What just happened?”
“Did you see that?”
Neither Cosmos, the pirates, the crowd, nor most of Jin’s comrades understood why the water wall had formed.
Only those who had reached the level of superhumans realized that Mary had swung her sword.
“Hah, that Mary. How did she swing her sword at the end like that?”
“…I didn’t get a good look either, Murakan-sama.”
“Whatever it was, if she swung it properly at that kid, the outcome might have changed.”
Murakan and Balkas spoke, while Jin swallowed dryly.
“I thought it was just a simple counterattack, but it was faster than the lightning-fast thrust… No, even if I’d known in advance, I couldn’t have dodged it. It was a cut close to divine power.”
Runcandel Oath.
Jin was certain the last strike that passed by him was one of the family’s three Oath sword techniques. It was clearly unfinished—if it had been complete, he wouldn’t be standing now.
Swoosh— The water wall crumbled like a sandcastle, returning to the sea.
“Both fighters appear to be standing fine! But the fight is over…! Neither Lady Mary nor Lord Jin is moving!”
Cosmos’s eyes sparkled as she raised her voice.
The siblings lowered their swords and locked eyes.
Staggering, Mary dropped to one knee, drawing gasps from all around.
“Gah! Damn it, I lost. I never thought I’d be played like this by your tricks…!”
Mary spat blood and wiped her forehead. Then Cosmos fired celebratory shots in all directions, announcing the result.
“The winner is… Jiin Runcandel! A blazing-hot, once-in-a-lifetime epic battle! Everyone, please give them a round of applause!”
Amidst thunderous applause, Jin approached Mary and extended his hand.
“Oath techniques… If you could use those swords, why did you try to finish with the lightning-fast thrust? If you’d unleashed the Oath then, I think I would have lost.”
“I thought you lowered your sword because you didn’t want to kill me, and I felt it was a shame to show you. But I forgot for a moment that you wouldn’t be that soft. Damn it. I never expected to fall for a trick like this.”
“It’s the same trick I used on the Guardian modeled after the former Tenth Knight, Lady Sarah Runcandel. She couldn’t break it because her body was weak, but if she’d unleashed the Oath… I’m not sure it would have worked on you.”
“Hmph, are you comparing me to the old saints of the family just to make me feel better?”
“Are you feeling a little twisted inside?”
“Heh heh, turns out I was the soft one.”
Mary grasped Jin’s hand and stood up. Despite her words, her face looked quite refreshed.
“…Jin, little brother.”
“Yes, sister.”
“Today, you officially defeated the family’s Seventh Pillar.”
“Was it really an official match? We both had too many restrictions, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, I fought the whole time blindfolded, and you banned magic. But what does it matter? You never let your guard down until the very end, and I misjudged you, which was my own downfall. That’s exactly how you proved you’re stronger than me.”
When Jin didn’t respond, Mary let out a short, amused laugh.
“So from today on, you’re ranked fifth among the riders. Keep that spot warm—you’ll have plenty of time to train and take it back. And on that note… Hey! Cosmos!”
“Yeah!”
“Bring that here.”
At Mary’s command, Cosmos hurried over, pulling something from his coat. He handed it over respectfully—a single book.
Jin’s eyes went wide as he stared at the author’s name on the cover, his mouth falling open in disbelief.
Fifth Secret Technique: Lightning Thrust – Siron Runcandel.
It was the training manual for the Lightning Thrust technique that Siron had written for Mary.
“It’s ridiculous for the fifth-ranked rider not to know even one secret family technique, don’t you think?”
Taking the manual in hand, Jin couldn’t hide his stunned confusion.