Episode 636
Chapter 163: Return to the Clan (5)
The Sword Garden, which had once shone brilliantly with sunlight and azure light, suddenly darkened.
A twisted darkness born of chaos spread across the sky and the garden itself. Jin furrowed his brow, staring at the blackened heavens and the shadowed Sword Garden.
Glowing red eyes stood out everywhere—those were the gazes of the knights who had been facing off against him.
‘As the darkness deepened, the knights’ auras grew stronger… Could it be that the Prophet amplified the chaos scattered throughout the Sword Garden?’
The Prophet and Rosa, who had been in front of him moments ago, were nowhere to be seen—as if they had never been there at all.
Jin suspected that the reason the chaotic energy had intensified was because those two had used some kind of method. The Prophet must have channeled Rosa’s power to weave a trick.
‘Or perhaps the Acting Clan Head moved to prepare defenses against an external attack?’
Kinzel and Ziphl.
Jin was certain that these two factions were still watching the battle unfold, preparing for a full-scale assault.
‘If that’s the case, it’s a reasonable move. But they’ll regret not keeping a closer eye on me.’
Whether to guard against outside attacks or for some other reason, Jin was confident he would make Rosa regret leaving him behind.
And not just that—he would make her regret every choice she had made until now.
From somewhere, new knights kept appearing.
Like insects hiding in the dark, suddenly swarming out toward their prey—unaware that the bait was laced with poison they couldn’t handle.
Their numbers had already surpassed a thousand, and if they kept multiplying at this rate, they’d reach ten thousand within the hour.
Each of those knights carried an aura of at least eighth rank.
‘But in the end, they’re just combat puppets with no true rank to match their power.’
To Jin, they felt no different from the monsters he had faced on the first day he returned to Inse.
Of course, that was Jin’s personal standard. Knights tainted by chaos still possessed enough combat power to wipe out most kingdoms within a day or two.
‘Only a few among them are the real deal—those traitors who, despite being corrupted by chaos, have not lost their rank.’
Whoosh!
The flames of Jin’s blazing fire grew even more intense.
“How could you not realize that the clan’s true path is not one of rebellion, betrayal, and wickedness…?”
In an instant, the azure light concealed Jin’s position. Black sword energy, aimless and wild, struck futilely against the barrier of blue flames.
Rune Kandel’s Fifth Secret Technique:
Light-Speed Thrust—Lord of the Underworld
Five beams of light-speed thrusts pierced the battlefield, carving it apart.
Small holes appeared in the chests of the knights at the front line, and the shockwaves that followed erased clusters of chaos-tainted knights.
Before the knights could react and fill the broken ranks, Jin had already reached the point where the light-speed thrusts converged.
That spot was where the Tona brothers and others who had resisted chaos to the very end stood.
As soon as Jin took his position, the knights nearby scattered like dust caught in the wind, cut down by Bradamante and vanishing.
“Y-You! Youngest brother!”
“B-Behind you!”
The Tona brothers, overwhelmed with emotion at Jin’s arrival to open a path, could only shout for him to watch his back.
Behind the younger brother, a black knight was swinging his sword.
Without even glancing that way, Jin grabbed the Tona brother who was rushing forward to shield him.
“Brothers, you’ve endured so much…”
At the moment the brothers reunited, the black knight’s blade that had come from behind was consumed by Jin’s blazing fire.
The helmet of the fallen black knight clattered to the ground with a hollow sound.
“I have a lot to say, but first, let’s get out of here.”
When Jin first saw those trapped underground, he had expected many of them would die here.
That was why the Tona brothers shouted at him—to tell him not to worry about them and to focus on what he had to do.
Fortunately, the situation had changed.
‘Without the Acting Clan Head, we can save far more knights than expected.’
Why had Rosa spared them? And why had she left without killing them?
The question suddenly struck him.
The Prophet had explained it as a final act of mercy. If that was all, Jin felt he could never forgive her.
No one who defiles Rune Kandel deserves mercy from Rune Kandel.
Of course, there were still many variables that could interfere with rescuing the resistors.
Rosa might return to the battlefield at any moment, the traitors could multiply beyond control, and there might be something even Jin couldn’t handle lurking among them.
So, first, Jin had to evacuate these people.
“Still, it’s surprising to see you remain here, Elder Jorden.”
Jorden Rune Kandel.
Jin met his gaze.
“…Judging by the atmosphere, it seems you were the leader of the resistors.”
Even as they spoke, the traitors couldn’t get close to Jin.
Jorden glanced between the protective flames and Jin, letting out a dry laugh.
“I merely remembered the clan’s true nature that I had forgotten. Thanks to some mad monster.”
“So you regained your confidence after losing everything? How arrogant.”
“I only recalled the clan’s essence.”
Those were the same words Jorden had said when Joshua fell, and when facing Rosa.
“And the leader of the resistors was never me, but the Four Pillars.”
“Where is Brother Dipus? Sister Mary?”
“I don’t know. Whether they live or die, I have no idea.”
Dipus was still imprisoned underground, but the others didn’t know this—he was held separately.
“…I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need for you to apologize, Elder. Then, are these all the survivors confirmed here?”
“Yes.”
Like the others who had resisted, Jorden’s body bore the scars of the torment he endured in the underground prison.
He was little more than skin and bones, his entire body corroded by chaotic energy.
Still, Jin sensed a transcendent dignity in Jorden—an unyielding rank that remained despite his frail body.
“Your secluded training must have been successful.”
“Not nearly to your level.”
“I can’t be the only one responsible for the escape. I wish I could, but I doubt the traitors’ rampage will be so limited. If I break a path, you must take responsibility for evacuating them—to Tikan.”
“Ha ha… Interesting. We’ve always been enemies, yet you ask me to trust you?”
“No. Not the despicable old black sword captain Jorden… but the clan knight, Jorden Rune Kandel.”
Jorden’s eyes widened.
“…I will obey, Twelfth Pillar.”
Jin hadn’t forgiven Jorden.
Jorden knew this.
But in the end, they shared the same value—‘struggle’—that defined Rune Kandel.
That was enough. Enough reason to set aside grudges and fight together for Rune Kandel.
“But, Twelfth Pillar, as you predicted, Rosa Rune Kandel and the Prophet’s power is not all there is.”
“Tell me everything you know.”
“The traitors’ enhancement is the result of chaos released in the Sword Garden. When we were imprisoned underground, we faced the same situation.”
Back then, the resistors had fought fiercely against the chaos-tainted traitors. Though not as strong as Jin, they had cut down many enhanced knights.
Thanks to warriors like Jorden, Dipus, and Mary, who had reached new heights through secluded training.
What truly crushed them that day wasn’t the endlessly reviving and multiplying chaos knights, nor the combat puppets with nothing but destructive power.
“…Soon, the knights enshrined in the mausoleum will appear.”
“The knights in the mausoleum?”
“We confirmed it ourselves—past Pillars and Black Knights. But if I were the Prophet, I’d summon even more and stronger beings against you…”
Just as Jorden said this, Jin unleashed ten beams of light-speed thrusts, clearing the area around him.
Meanwhile, the flames of his blazing fire continued to grow, their limits unknown.
No matter how many ants swarm, they cannot kill a lion.
Just as Jin saw the chaos knights as no different from desert monsters, Jorden saw the same truth.
“…But I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”
Jorden shrugged.
He realized Jin had only used less than thirty percent of his true power.
The reason Jin cleared the area was simple.
He had sensed the true core of the traitors beginning to reveal their strength.
The Black Knight Captain, Stam.
He was slowly stepping toward Jin.
“Go ahead, Elder.”
The resistors began to leave the Sword Garden.
Though the chaos-tainted ground was unstable, they followed the blue path formed by the blazing fire as their guide.
They didn’t even need to raise their swords against the swarming chaos knights—the protective flames surrounded them like a barrier.
Their escape would truly begin once they left the domain of the blazing fire.
“You don’t seem intent on attacking them, Black Knight Captain Stam of former Rune Kandel. You could easily scorch me with your flames. Is that last shred of conscience you have?”
Stam said nothing, instead glaring fiercely at Jin.
A tremendous aura of chaos radiated from him.
“No, I am Jin Runcandel of the 12th generation. I judged that I must not waste even an ounce of strength in facing you.”
“Good to know you’re not burdened by some petty conscience.”
Jin fixed his gaze on Stam’s crimson eyes for a moment.
The Black Knight Captain of the Runcandel family—the very man who had once been his savior and fought alongside him, risking life and limb—was now standing as his enemy, blocking his path.
“Focusing entirely on me was undoubtedly a wise choice. It’s regrettable, though, that with such judgment you still failed to stop Lady Rosa Runcandel’s tyranny.”
“The justification of preserving one’s family line ultimately belongs to the one who survives in the end. You’re not yet qualified to say whether Lady Rosa was wrong. Likewise, I’m not yet certain you’re right. That’s a question only answered after you’re dead.”
“I never thought you’d be so skilled at spouting nonsense instead of wielding a sword…”
Just as Stam lunged at him, Jin sensed another true adversary emerging from behind.
[Black Knight Captain, now I understand why you’ve been waiting for me all this time. For a moment, I thought that guy was Sir Siron Runcandel, the current head of the family.]
Turning around, Jin saw a knight he had never met before—someone who had just escaped from the spirit temple.