Chapter 616
Episode 159: The Tournament of the Twelve Kings (3)
The one who shouted was Kaio, the Twelfth King of the Meiwang clan.
“Kaio and his brother?”
Everyone turned to look at Kaio. He was trembling with barely contained rage, his fists clenched so tightly they shook.
“W-Why, Twelfth King brothers? What’s wrong?”
“Did you throw the match against Garmund, brother!?”
A few of the ordinary warriors, failing to read the mood, spoke up. Kaio didn’t respond. Sensing the tension, Tantel quickly silenced them with a sharp cough.
An oppressive silence fell over the hall.
Since arriving at Laprarosa, Jin had never seen any of the brothers express such raw anger.
“…It seems you have some grievance with me, Twelfth King brother.”
Garmund narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on Kaio. His eyes burned with a fierce, dark fighting spirit far deeper than what he had shown when facing Jin moments ago.
“Finally, you’re showing the look of someone ready to fight properly.”
“Cut the crap and speak plainly.”
“That look should have been on your face when you fought Jin, not now.”
“What did you say?”
“If you’re going to treat Jin like a child, why not just change his diapers too?”
“That’s harsh… Twelfth King brother. You’re crossing a line.”
“The one who crossed the line first was the Eighth King brother. Do you really think the others don’t know you deliberately lost to Jin?”
“I lost fair and square! The accumulated shock from the morning’s battles was worse than I thought, and Jin was just stronger than expected.”
“That’s called willful negligence. The Eighth King brother secretly hoped Jin would win, so he didn’t play his best moves during the match.”
“That’s nonsense—stop spouting lies!”
“If it’s really not true—”
Kaio strode forward toward Garmund.
“Swear on the honor of the Divine Warrior brothers and all the others: did the Eighth King brother fight with his full strength? If you say yes, I’ll cut off my right arm.”
Seeing Kaio’s resolute face so close, Garmund instinctively took a step back.
Not out of fear or intimidation, but because Kaio’s words struck a nerve. Every word hit Garmund’s core.
“Why can’t you answer, Eighth King brother?”
“Uh, well… I really didn’t, but since the Twelfth King brother says he’ll cut off his arm—”
“Eighth King brother, it’s shameful that you and I share the title of King of the Twelve.”
“Uh… I really did fight properly and lost. Do I have to be dragged into this mess too, Twelfth King brother?”
Teto, who had been listening, spoke up indignantly, only to have Rumora roughly wrap an arm around his neck.
“Quiet, Twelfth King brother. This is serious.”
“No, the way the Twelfth King brother is talking is really unseemly. Don’t stop me! Why are you picking a fight with me when I was just minding my own business? Hah, is it because I’m the weakest that I look like a punching bag?”
“Want to go one-on-one with Kaio brother? Think you can handle being the Twelfth King brother? Huh? Listen to me, and anyway, since the Twelfth King brother lost to Jin, it’s true that the pride of the King brothers has been hurt.”
Teto struggled against Rumora’s grip, but to no avail.
Kaio paid no attention to Teto.
“After all this insult, you still refuse to answer? Eighth King brother.”
“The Twelfth King brother seems to think he’s some kind of Divine Warrior brother. Why should I listen to him—”
Before Garmund could finish, the Meiwang clan members all gasped in shock.
Thwack!
Suddenly, Kaio’s fist slammed into Garmund’s jaw with such force that a shockwave rippled through the entire hall.
[Oof. That must’ve hurt. His jaw’s probably broken.]
Garmund staggered, eyes wide with fury.
“Kaio, you bastard!”
Just as Garmund prepared to strike back—
“Enough.”
Ban spoke for the first time.
He stood silently atop Lingling, looking down at the brothers for a long moment without saying another word.
“The seventh match is over. The winner is brother Jin. The next match will begin after a one-hour break.”
With that, Ban announced the result in a calm voice and then disappeared somewhere.
Among the Meiwang clan, there was no strict hierarchy except for the Divine Warriors. Nominally, Jin, as the successor of Sigmund and the Divine Warrior, held the second highest status after Ban, but actual recognition was another matter.
That was why this kind of conflict had erupted.
Jin had undoubtedly risen to the ranks of the strongest among the Meiwang brothers, becoming the heir to the Divine Sword and the Divine Warrior.
Yet, not all the brothers had accepted his power.
Being recognized as a brother and being acknowledged as a King or successor were clearly different things.
“The Divine Warrior brother left without mediating the fight…”
“Does that mean he won’t stop the Kings from fighting? This is the first time it’s gotten this hostile since the battle with the gods.”
“Even before the battle, this rarely happened. It’s unsettling.”
“But is it true that the Twelfth and Eighth Kings deliberately lost?”
“Is this really worth fighting over? Why can’t Jin brother just do well? Honestly, I think the Twelfth King brother is just making a fuss. Jin brother is our only hope, after all.”
“That’s right. Without Jin brother, we can’t even leave this place. Besides, Jin has never acted arrogantly just because he’s favored by the Divine Warrior brother. He’s always proven himself. That’s why he became one of us!”
“That may be, but considering the meaning of the Tournament of the Kings… I can understand the Twelfth King brother’s feelings. Jin brother only recently became one of us.”
“And Jin brother has quickly claimed everything the Kings have long desired. It’s because he was chosen by the Divine Warrior brother, but in any other era, that would have been impossible.”
“Above all, the Twelfth King brother was the one who worked hardest to become the Divine Warrior’s successor before the fall. No one can deny that.”
The ordinary warriors whispered among themselves, sharing their thoughts.
None of them had any idea why Ban had suddenly left, so they didn’t dare interfere with the fight.
Jin was just as confused.
The brothers he knew never bared their teeth at each other.
Since being accepted as a brother, Jin had never experienced discrimination or hostility—only unwavering support.
That was the nature of the Meiwang clan.
Sometimes, Jin felt there was no society more ideal than theirs.
One absolute leader, equality, trust, and never betraying one another.
But as Tantel had said earlier, the Meiwang were still human.
—“We haven’t always cared for each other like this, brother Jin. The Meiwang’s history is full of betrayal, murder, intrigue, and schemes. Just less so than other races.”
—“The current era of the Divine Warrior brother Ban is truly a golden age. Even in the Tournament of the Kings before the fall, no murders occurred. But before that, factions fought and killed for political gain.”
Boras’s words suddenly came to mind.
‘That golden age of the Divine Warrior brother… ended with a challenge to the gods and the clan’s destruction.’
The ideal image of the brothers Jin had seen might have been possible only because Laprarosa was a “dead world.”
Time for the Meiwang had stopped. When Temar, the first successor, came to Laprarosa, and even a thousand years later when Jin arrived, it was a society without a future.
All the Meiwang could do was give everything they had to the few successors who came over the centuries.
That was why they no longer needed to compete with each other. There was no need to struggle or strive to become the Divine Warrior’s heir.
But now, with Jin’s declaration to return them to the world, their time had meaning again.
They had a reason to live, their desires were rekindled, and the spark of dreams was lit.
In other words, they were no longer ghosts meant only for the successors—they could face tomorrow as people.
That was why some brothers were certain this Tournament of the Kings had to be brutally fair.
No matter the outcome, Jin would be the heir of the Divine Sword, but the successor of the Divine Warrior could still change.
“To remove the rust and moss that have settled on the frozen history of the Meiwang, conflict and struggle are inevitable.”
The Tournament of the Kings was Ban’s final test and purification for Jin and all the Meiwang.
If they wanted history to flow again, they had to shed everything.
For that, Jin had come to a clear conclusion about what he must do.
“Twelfth King brother.”
Jin looked at Kaio, turning his back on Garmund.
“If you’re unhappy with the Eighth King brother’s actions, then when your turn comes, crush me with all your might.”
“That’s exactly what I intend to do, brother Jin.”
“And no matter what the Eighth King brother’s true feelings were, the result remains my victory. This isn’t a sparring match—it’s a fight. Whether the Eighth King brother gave his all or not no longer matters.”
“That’s true.”
“So it’s best to stop this disgraceful behavior. As the Eighth King brother said, right now the Twelfth King brother is acting as if he’s the Divine Warrior himself. There is no hierarchy among brothers. No orders, no coercion. Only the Divine Warrior brother has that right.”
Among the Pluto clan, some nodded in agreement with Jin’s assessment, while others remained silent.
Jin decided to play the villain who would stoke their conflicts.
A villain who would ultimately win, forcing everyone to acknowledge him.
“In my opinion, the Tenth Prince brothers secretly believe they’re stronger than the Eighth Prince brothers. Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare humiliate the Eighth Prince brothers so openly, in front of all their siblings.”
Kaio’s eyes sharpened with a fiercer edge.
“Is that so? An interesting theory. Then, is this the same reason why Brother Jin is pressing me so hard right now? Because he’s confident he’s stronger than me, and that’s why he’s acting so cocky?”
At those words, Jin smiled.
“Exactly. The Tenth Prince brothers won’t be able to defeat me.”