Episode 637
Chapter 163. Return to the Family (6)
He, too, was undoubtedly a knight forged by the power of the prophet and chaos.
Yet, from the very first glance, he was unlike the other knights.
Instead of the usual murky, black aura typical of chaos energy, his entire body was bathed in a subtle indigo glow.
His eyes held none of the ferocity of a bloodthirsty beast. Instead, they bore the deep, steady gaze of a seasoned warrior at the peak of his strength, fixed intently on Jin.
He was strong.
So strong that there was no need to test it with a sword.
Jin studied him carefully, recalling a description he had read in the Storm Fortress archives about a previous head of the Runcandel family.
Long hair spread out like a lion’s mane in all directions—hence the nickname “Lion King”—the former head of Runcandel.
Lionel Runcandel. That was the name of the man who had appeared in the spirit realm.
“The youngest son of Runcandel greets the sixth head of the family,” Jin said calmly, bowing respectfully to Lionel.
[Oh? You recognize me? I heard there are almost no stories left about me. Impressive.]
Almost all records about him were preserved only in the Storm Fortress archives.
His era was shortly after Runcandel’s defeat by Ziphl, so most records had been erased.
“You called me impressive, so may I ask you a question in return?”
[What is it?]
“It seems your ancestor, unlike other chaos beings, possessed clear reason and will. Then, surely the current state of the family must be far from pleasing to you. Which side did you bring your dead body to punish?”
[Ha! If I didn’t side with you, I’d be charging at you right now.]
“Please answer me.”
[I am nothing but a wraith bound to the summoner. My role is to punish you. A predictable question. But, from what I see, Rosa’s judgment isn’t all that bad.]
“In that case, I can no longer show you respect, Lionel. Even if you must suffer the humiliation of being cut down by your descendant’s sword, I hope you accept it humbly…”
[A fine spirit you have.]
A sharp blue flame flickered in Jin’s eyes.
At the same moment, Lionel sliced through the air with a greatsword formed from chaos energy.
Swoosh…!
The strike distorted the space itself, releasing a torrent of sword energy that reached the level of a sword wave.
The gravitational and repulsive forces generated by his sword energy swept away the nearby chaos knights in a single wave.
Lionel cared nothing for their safety.
He was the current head of Runcandel, considered the strongest in history aside from Temar. His sole determination was to kill his descendant here—the one who most resembled Siron.
As Lionel’s sword energy crashed down on Jin, Stam, eyeing Jin’s back, was inwardly horrified.
“Even with his back turned… there’s no opening at all.”
Stam couldn’t recklessly strike at Jin’s back. Any attack would be a meaningless exchange.
Only a few years ago, the family’s twelve warriors—whose lives he had saved—were now displaying the absolute dignity of true warriors.
And Jin, without a hint of concern…
Tore through Lionel’s sword energy with his bare hands.
“I expected you to make the first move. How embarrassing.”
A show of strength.
Jin looked up at the larger Lionel, but Lionel’s gaze seemed to come from even higher above.
[Though I lived my life in arrogance, I’m not foolish enough to allow that against you.]
Lionel showed no surprise even as his sword energy was absorbed into Jin’s grasp and vanished.
He immediately acknowledged it: Jin was stronger than him.
[Minions, fall back. Standing here won’t even pose a threat to him.]
Lan, Vigo, Mew, and Ann.
These four were the “minions” Lionel referred to. They had been commanding the chaos knights, waiting for an opportunity to ambush Jin.
“That’s impossible, Lord Lionel. Mother’s orders come first.”
[Rosa wouldn’t have told you to kill that boy. You can’t tell heaven from earth. If you don’t mind losing lives, then do as you please.]
Ssssh!
Once again, Lionel closed the distance first. The air exploded with shockwaves as he charged, and Jin met him head-on, swinging Bradamante.
In sheer strength, Lionel had the advantage. Jin was knocked back the moment their swords clashed, and only then did Stam spot an opening.
Small cracks appeared on Multa’s rune and Yeonggap’s chest armor. Had they not dodged, the blades would have pierced through, shattering neck and heart alike.
Jin’s sword grazed Lionel’s chest and Stam’s armor, but the initial momentum clearly favored Lionel.
The three swords clashed multiple times per second, shaking the ground with the roar and tremors of a collapsing mountain or fortress.
The shockwaves from this superhuman battle began erasing the family guardian swords planted in the garden.
These swords, steeped in history and pride, rusted and gleamed, were breaking.
Only Jin felt the heart-wrenching pain of that sight.
[Strong. Truly astonishingly strong! Can you not stand with your mother’s side even now? With your and Rosa’s power, you could easily grasp this world in your hands!]
“Lionel, you introduced yourself as nothing but a wraith bound to a summoner.”
Jin pushed Stam aside and took the brunt of Lionel’s sword strike.
“I am the same. I am a man bound to the family’s values. No matter how easy the path, no matter how sweet the temptation, I cannot turn my back on those values… struggle. That relentless thing.”
[Such a pity I spoke nonsense. But surviving is the essence of struggle. Your mother has fulfilled that better than anyone.]
“I admit it. If Rosa Runcandel belonged to another family, I would have called her a remarkable figure.”
Fssht!
A pale line of blood spurted from Lionel’s right cheek.
He hadn’t even noticed Jin’s blade passing across his face. Losing track of an opponent’s sword mid-battle was a first for him.
“If I hadn’t reacted unconsciously, it would have been over.”
Yet Lionel wasn’t all that surprised.
He only felt once more the undeniable truth: he was facing an unprecedentedly strong enemy he had never met in life.
Fear and exhilaration chilled Lionel’s spine. Stam felt a similar sensation.
[In my time, you would have been an absolute power. Yet you still cling to childish dreams. That is why you will die here today.]
Jin said nothing and swung his sword again.
Pure strength still favored Lionel and Stam. The scratches on Multa’s rune and Yeonggap grew faster with each passing moment.
Their breathing grew heavier.
Meanwhile, Lionel and Stam’s swords moved in perfect harmony.
Whenever Lionel created an opening, Stam’s blade would stab and slice Yeonggap without fail.
Blood seeped from between the helmet’s plates.
‘Is it impossible to face these two in this state?’
Just a little longer.
Though Jin had maintained his composure, he was clearly on the defensive.
Lionel showed no sign of fatigue despite unleashing his ultimate techniques, and Stam controlled the flow of battle like a fusion of Yona and Luna.
When striking openings, he was astonishingly calm; when applying pressure, unbearably heavy.
Thus, Stam was an even more troublesome opponent than Lionel.
‘And both surely have hidden trump cards.’
So did Jin.
But he was constantly aware of variables he could never handle. It was too soon to reveal his secret moves.
‘The chaos energy fueling the cursed flames is gradually weakening. If this trend continues, the time I must endure without using other cards is…’
About five minutes.
If he could hold out that long, he could safely retrieve the cursed flame protecting the escaping resistance.
That was why Jin had lost the power struggle against Lionel and Stam so far.
‘It’s hard to tell if I can withstand their assault with pure swordsmanship alone until then…’
Just as he thought this, Jin suddenly felt the chaos energy feeding the cursed flame weaken sharply.
From afar, someone’s aura began to push back the chaos energy in earnest.
Jorden Runcandel.
He had begun releasing the power he had stored under the cursed flame’s protection.
Gaaaargh…!
From above, Tess, who was guarding the resistance, let out a roar. It was a signal that the resistance was escaping the Sword Garden, heading toward Karon.
Jin smiled without realizing it.
“It’s done.”
The cursed flames that had filled the Sword Garden vanished all at once.
At the same time, Lionel and Stam stepped back.
They sensed the change in Jin’s energy the moment the cursed flames disappeared.
But the flames hadn’t vanished—they had returned to Jin.
The cursed flames converged on him once more, bathing him in a blue glow.
With Multa’s rune and Yeonggap deactivated, Jin’s bare body perfectly embodied the cursed flames of the Flame Emperor.
“The karmic power you’ve wielded against us all this time… was only half of its true strength!?”
Neither Lionel nor Stam had ever imagined this. They knew the karmic force protected the resistors, but they never suspected it was holding back its full power.
It wasn’t because their vision was lacking.
No one could have believed that the transcendent flame, which had been pushing back the chaos engulfing the entire Garden of Blades, was only operating at half its potential.
“Lionel, before this ends, there’s one truth I must share with you.”
Lionel’s wide-open eyes trembled.
He was filled with awe—after all, he was a descendant blessed to witness firsthand the legend of the Flame Emperor, Sarah Runcandel.
“Unlike you, Lady Sarah fought for Runcandel for a thousand years after her death. Though her body was shattered and her spirit even more broken… throughout those long years, she never once compromised.”
Would you dare call the thousand years of struggle and unwavering will she carried nothing more than a boy’s dream?
Lionel found himself unable to respond to Jin’s words.
“You have no answer. That is why, today, you will face death here once again.”
Bradamante surged toward Lionel and Stam, like the blade of a guillotine descending to execute traitors.