Chapter 692
Episode 177. Yona, Yona, Yona… (1)
May 6, 1803. We received word from Mumyung that they had found traces of Yona.
Fortunately, Yona was still within Akin’s territory at that time, far from any villages or cities.
As soon as Jin got the message, he immediately boarded the Red Owl with Hedo, Veil, Bianca Caligo, and Lanke Halobiche. (They had come to demand why Veil hadn’t been brought along sooner.)
“Jin… Runkandel… why are we—?”
Bianca’s slow voice betrayed her confusion. Lanke, though too afraid of Jin to shout, wore a deeply displeased expression.
“Unfortunately, your duke made a deal with me. Orgal agreed to let Veil meet you, in exchange for absolute protection of Lady Sandra and Lord Hedo.”
“Ah… protection. But he didn’t say it would be absolute…”
“If you don’t like it, you can leave now. But that means our deal is off.”
“Ah… ugh.”
Bianca clutched her head in frustration, and Lanke suddenly stood up, scowling.
“Seriously! This is ridiculous. Do you think we’re your slaves? If you want protection, at least behave yourself. And don’t expect us to take responsibility for your reckless risks!”
“Lanke Halobiche, looks like you didn’t get enough punishment last time. I can tell by your bold words.”
“Bah! Even if I lost to you once, I am the first son of the great Halobiche family—one of the four great dukes of the demon realm! I rule the northern demon lands and its creatures, and I am lord of the Tna and Karion mountains! I won’t surrender my pride just because of power!”
“Oh, really?”
“L-Lanke.”
“This is an excessive and unreasonable demand. Bianca Caligo, stop stammering like a fool. This concerns the honor of our four great dukes!”
“Honor…”
“Fine, honor it is. Well said. If you hate helping me that much, how about this? Lanke, if I hadn’t been there in the Caldran snowfields, you’d be finished. Who saved you when you were lying there like a rag, completely exhausted?”
“You did!”
“Then shut up and cooperate. It’s honorable to help your benefactor.”
“Benefactor, my foot! We only went to Caldran snowfields because of you!”
“That was necessary for the greater cause—the final battle with Rosa. It wasn’t just my personal business; all our temporary allies had to step up. It’s the same now. Lady Yona is regarded as a god among assassins. She’ll be a huge help in the fight against Rosa, naturally.”
“Don’t nod like you’re convinced, Bianca. Fine, Jin Runkandel. If this is a temporary alliance, why isn’t Jiple here? Are you too embarrassed to bring that musclehead? Even for the greater cause?”
“Jiple is providing the location. If you don’t like it, you can sit this one out. Go back and explain the situation to your leader; I’m sure they’ll praise you. And honestly, I think you’re making a fuss partly because you’re afraid of Lady Yona.”
“What did you say?”
“It’s natural to fear someone who could kill you before you even realize it.”
“Hah, so you think I’m a joke since I lost to you? I’ll prove you wrong today. I’m strong and useful, but after today, don’t expect me to fall for your games anymore.”
“Good, good. Very admirable.”
Lanke refused to back down out of pride, and Bianca seemed to understand why they had been dragged along.
‘Such easy-to-handle fools.’
Jin thought demons were all this stupid, and Hedo shared the sentiment.
But the reason people like Bianca and Lanke were revered in the demon realm was because they were overwhelmingly powerful enough to make up for their lack of intelligence.
Anyway, now that the strongest demons had been gathered, Jin felt much more at ease.
Jin, Hedo, Veil, Bianca, Lanke, along with Owl, Mumyung, and the top assassins.
With a party like this, there was hardly any force in the world they couldn’t handle. Except for Siron and Rosa, who had become a fiend, no one could face them all alone.
The Red Owl swiftly transported them to the forest of Akin, as always.
“Have you arrived, the Twelve Riders? Quite… a unique and solid group.”
Owl didn’t know Veil’s true identity or why Kinzello had come along. After Jin explained, he nodded with satisfaction.
“Even if Yona’s power has grown wildly stronger, this should be fine.”
If the goal was to kill Yona, Jin alone would have sufficed. But subduing her required more than double the strength—she was not only powerful but had special abilities.
In that regard, the party Jin had assembled was more than enough.
“But if this drags on, Jiple will definitely come. Then Lord Hedo’s betrayal might cause trouble, and Jiple could interfere… Well, that might not matter. We can’t afford a war here before the final battle with Rosa. Especially since Kelliak isn’t in good shape.”
“That’s right, Lord Owl. I’ve already sent a letter to Jiple about the situation. They should be arriving soon. For their sake, it’s better to cooperate so Lady Yona is captured before the territory suffers more damage. Though it’s frustrating and unfair.”
Only someone with a thick enough skin could say that.
And only someone with enough power to back it up could get away with it.
Owl realized anew that Jin had become a figure who could stand alongside the world’s top powers. In just a few years, Jin had truly become a heavyweight.
‘And his level has risen another step since I saw him at Hiran’s Second Castle…’
Owl looked at Veil.
“Did you break through another barrier because you met Lord Veil?”
“Lord Veil helped, but it was mostly because of Rosa. She’s perfecting herself faster than I’m growing stronger.”
When Jin fought Veil, Rosa had only briefly looked down on him through Padler’s eyes, but even that was enough for Jin to feel her power clearly. She was definitely beyond Orgal’s predictions.
“…A terrible story. That’s why even enemies of a thousand years have joined forces.”
Owl pointed toward the forest ahead.
“Yona is somewhere in that forest. There have been several skirmishes, but she hasn’t broken the encirclement. Or… it feels like she’s waiting for the perfect moment to kill us all at once. Each time we’ve clashed, she’s not weakened but rather sharpened her senses.”
In the last battle, Owl and Bijen encountered Yona simultaneously, and Bijen nearly died from a single blow.
“Then we should just burn the whole forest to find her.”
Veil said.
“Veil, if you do that, there will definitely be civilian casualties. Have you forgotten the lady’s orders?”
Hedo replied, and Veil frowned in irritation. He wanted to snap back that he’d handle it himself, but Sandra’s orders included following Hedo’s instructions well.
“It’s best if only Hedo, Lord Owl, and I enter the forest for the search. The others should wait at key points along the encirclement and move in immediately when the signal flare goes off. If Lady Yona notices our entry and tries to escape, Lord Veil can pursue her.”
As Veil released his power, a ring formed above his head, wings sprouted on his back, and golden energy radiated from him. He could fly faster than a hawk.
“I think that’s a good plan. The assassins on the encirclement also have signal flares, so joining up will be easy from any direction. And Lord Veil… you can also serve as our communication link. Your mobility is unmatched.”
“Hah, ordering me around now?”
“Veil, just follow orders quietly. Do I really have to say it twice every time?”
“Tch!”
With that, the group split up, and Jin, Hedo, and Owl entered the forest.
Unlike the others, Jin immediately sensed faint traces of Yona’s chaotic energy scattered throughout the forest.
“The remaining energy is weak and scattered, but if I read it carefully, I can find Lady Yona.”
“You can sense that?”
“Yes. For some time now, my sensitivity to chaos has become unusually sharp. I’ll try to estimate her general path, and Lord Owl, please advise me whenever I’m uncertain.”
As they began the search in earnest, Jin struggled to steady his increasingly dizzy mind.
If Yona was already beyond saving, even capturing her wouldn’t help.
‘No, she’s holding on. The fact that she hasn’t killed any civilians yet proves she’s resisting. If we don’t lose her now, she will definitely come back…’
After a couple of hours, Jin suddenly stopped and looked around, his face showing clear alarm.
“Twelve Riders, is something wrong?”
“…Lord Owl, the types of chaotic energy have suddenly increased.”
“What?”
“That means there’s more than one user of chaotic energy in this forest besides Lady Yona.”
“That can’t be. The encirclement has been maintained since you met me at Hiran’s Second Castle.”
“Is it possible someone broke through the encirclement and entered the forest? Or that there was another chaos user here from the start besides Lady Yona?”
“The former is impossible. The encirclement includes me and the top assassins. While breaking through by force is unlikely, infiltration is absolutely impossible—unless someone with power equal to mine or Yona’s exists. The latter… wait, could it be?”
Suddenly, Owl’s eyes widened as a thought struck him. Jin was thinking the same thing.
“If it’s a fake Yona, that would explain a lot. Maybe the ones we’ve been fighting all this time were fakes.”
“The new spirit I found is only subtly different from the ones I’ve sensed before. The fake we encountered in Hailan must have infiltrated the forest.”
That meant the fake Yona had either been in the forest before Mumyung or had slipped in by breaking through the encirclement using their true abilities or the Seer’s Den.
In other words, there could be multiple Yonas in the forest—both real and fake.
And the number of fakes who came to the forest was likely small.
“Jin, if that’s true, wouldn’t we need a Contract Holder of Truth?” Hedo asked.
Jin shook his head.
“If there are many fake Yonas, protecting Yuria will be too difficult. Since there are two types of energy, I’ll suppress them all without distinguishing between the real sister and the fakes, then try to tell them apart afterward.”