Episode 694
Chapter 177. Yona, Yona, Yona… (3)

“Joshua? I never thought that idiot would show up here.”

Jin furrowed his brows.

As the chaotic pocket dimension unfolded and Joshua’s voice reached his ears, Jin felt not so much a sense of danger as a sudden surge of irritation.

It was like a cockroach suddenly scurrying out from underfoot—no real threat, but utterly disgusting and enough to make your skin crawl.

“It’s been a while, though I’m hardly glad to see you. You should be rotting away in that underground prison. What are you doing here?”

[Isn’t that obvious? Because Mother forgave me, of course. I doubt you didn’t know I was out.]

Jin let out a short, bitter laugh.

“Forgiveness… Rosa isn’t that kind of person. You still don’t understand her. From her, you don’t get forgiveness—you get recognition. Tell me, Joshua, how was your time locked up? Since Rosa pulled you out, I assume you’ve grown somewhat.”

Shing!

From somewhere, Yona’s sword appeared and vanished, slicing through Owl’s sleeve. Yona drifted like a ghost, circling the three of them, her blade always poised.

[Yes, it was meaningful. I truly learned a lot thanks to you.]

“Really? From where I’m standing, you just look like an even bigger idiot than before.”

[Your words are still harsh, little brother.]

“I’ve never had a brother like you.”

[We can’t deny we share the same blood. Born from the same womb, but standing in different places—that’s all.]

As soon as Joshua appeared, Hedo and Owl noticed Jin losing his composure.

But rather than feeling uneasy, they were oddly relieved.

A man like Jin wouldn’t let emotions ruin his judgment. The newly arrived Second Rank was clearly not even worth Jin’s caution.

“Hah… Joshua, I never imagined you’d show up again like this.”

[Then what did you expect?]

“If you’re asking if I hoped you’d just rot away in that underground prison, then yes, I did. I thought it would be best if your miserable life ended there…”

[That wish didn’t come true.]

“Don’t interrupt me, Joshua. This is the last time I’ll speak to you as a human being. So listen carefully, you piece of trash.”

Jin glared at a single point in the veil of chaos as if willing it to tear apart.

“Part of me hoped you’d truly awaken there and come back to challenge me again. To break free from Rosa’s grasp and finally become a real person—a worthy opponent. Both I and Brother Diffus hoped for that. Why do you think that was?”

[If that was truly your wish, then it’s already come true. I’m standing right in front of you.]

“You’re standing in front of me?”

Jin laughed incredulously, glancing around.

“Where exactly are you? Hiding like mold behind Sister Yona, cowardly letting her take the lead and only making your voice heard—is that really ‘standing before me’? I don’t know what you learned in that prison to be so proud of, but you’re the same as ever. The same Joshua!”

Clang!

Hedo deflected a blade dropped by Yona aimed at Jin, who didn’t even look away.

“You’re the kind of guy Brother Diffus and I would have torn apart and thrown into the streets without a second thought. I hoped you’d come back stronger because it would have been meaningless otherwise. After all that time scheming against us, it would have been so empty for our mortal enemy to end like that—not by my hand, but by a single word from Rosa. What exactly did we fight so hard for?”

[Whether I’m the same as before or not, you’ll find out soon enough. You’ve gotten more impatient than I remember.]

“I’ll correct you on one thing: you’re not the same person you were. You’ve become even less worthy. The fact that you’re so smug now, thinking I’ve fallen into your trap—that’s proof enough. Acting like the power Rosa and the Prophet gave you is entirely yours! Do you really think some cheap trick like this can fool me?”

Jin wrapped blue flames around Bradamante.

“You idiot… If you had come alone, knowing you’d lose, and asked me to settle this once and for all, I would have respected you. Even if your body was rotting in that underground prison, unable to wield your sword or even muster First Rank power, I would have treated you as a worthy rival.”

But in the end, you never understood a thing.

Jin’s voice grew calm as he continued, and Joshua fell silent for a moment. He unconsciously recalled something Rosa once told him:

—You are not yet dead. And I look forward not only to the fulfillment of prophecy but also to the struggle that will break it. Your youngest brother, Jin. His fight may well shatter the prophecy, no matter how absolute it seems.

—If the day ever comes when your prophecy leads you out of this underground prison into the real world of struggle, and you survive it, I will bring you back to the surface. Of course… as always, your prophecy will disappoint me once again. Just as you always have.

Even then, Jin never forgot to fight, and Joshua remained in the same place.

Joshua still hadn’t realized this.

So Jin found it hard to guess why Rosa had started using Joshua again.

Why would a monstrous being like her entrust such a task to a worthless creature like him, when she didn’t even need a warrior like Fadler?

There must be a reason, but I can’t figure it out. It can’t be mere whim.

Amid the silence, Yona’s sword occasionally passed through the group like a meaningless shadow.

“In the end, you never stood on your own… You were never recognized by Father, Rosa, or even me. Remember that, Joshua. My patience for treating you like a person is running out. This is the end.”

Jin’s new sword technique, forged alone while facing the veil, pointed at a single spot in the chaotic curtain.

Like ice melting in fire, the veil peeled back, revealing the hidden fake Yonas.

Seven fakes in total—eight Yonas including the real one—were lurking in the pocket dimension, targeting the group.

[…You’ve mastered a strange sword technique.]

“Second Rank, if I were you, I’d be too ashamed to even speak. No matter how broken you are, weren’t you once warriors? Jin is showing you a realm you can never reach. Be grateful.”

[Shut up, Gatekeeper.]

As soon as the Yonas revealed themselves, they vanished again, and a new dimensional gate opened where they had been.

From it poured monsters enhanced by chaos. Hedo recognized them as Inner Core monsters that should have been in the Black Sea.

By then, Joshua was starting to sense his plan was failing.

The group showed no sign of being shaken by the flood of Yonas and Inner Core monsters.

The three of them looked down on the situation.

Especially Jin, who had faced not only strong predecessors like Fadler and Lionel but also the godlike Veil and the monstrous Rosa’s power firsthand.

This kind of puppy-dog scheme was hardly worth worrying about.

“So, is this all you prepared? Your sister, the fakes, and a horde of Inner Core monsters?”

Scratch!

Jin sliced the neck of one fake as it charged. The fake couldn’t even swing its sword properly because of the flames Bradamante spread.

At that moment, Joshua flinched, glancing between Jin and the fallen Yona.

According to Joshua’s plan, Jin was never supposed to kill the Yonas.

[Have you decided to walk the path beyond the Outlaw? Killing Yona without hesitation.]

“You sound like Rosa, as if you’re some kind of mage. You’re neither mage nor outlaw—just a petty swordsman. I didn’t kill Sister Yona. She was a fake, so I killed her.”

Jin’s ability to instantly distinguish real from fake wasn’t part of Joshua’s calculations.

In truth, Joshua hadn’t come here to eliminate Jin.

He wanted to see Jin struggle, unable to kill the Yonas and constantly in danger, until finally forced to kill them all in desperation—plunged into hatred and despair.

He intended to harvest that despair and offer it to Rosa. The overwhelming despair of someone as special as Jin was exactly what Rosa needed right now.

So Joshua trembled with a sudden tightening in his chest. The fear of failure, of disappointing Mother again, choked him.

Of course, Jin saw right through him. Yet defeating such a pest brought no joy.

“Come to think of it, you and Airan Biment even tried to assassinate Dante. You failed then because I found out in advance, and it’s the same now. Looking back, you’ve never beaten me once.”

[But both Airan Biment and I are still alive.]

Jin was reading the flow of chaotic energy opening the dimensional gate, intending to track it and find where Joshua was hiding.

“Proud of that? You’re hiding pretty far away. Looks like outside the forest. If you want this nonsense to end, just wait. I’ll come find you after I clean this up.”

Of course, Jin didn’t expect Joshua to wait quietly until he arrived.

Anyway, dealing with the six remaining fakes, the real Yona, and the inner sanctum monsters was going to take some time.

It wasn’t as simple as just wiping out all of them except the real Yona. They had to be completely eliminated to prevent any of them from escaping outside, breaking the encirclement, or causing casualties among the nearby villagers.

So Jin planned to send someone else to Joshua.

Screeeech—!

Suddenly, the upper part of the barrier split in two, and a surge of golden energy burst through. Veil had torn the barrier from the outside.

[Ugh! Just when I was getting annoyed, this works out. Hey, Jin. Can I just sweep them all away? Except your sisters, of course.]

“You’ve got other things to do, Veil.”

[Come on, can’t you just let me kill them? I think it’d help me blow off some steam.]

“No. But I’ll tell you who you can kill. Go outside the forest and find Joshua.”

[Who’s that?]

“The one who created this barrier. He should be somewhere around the twelve o’clock direction outside the forest. He probably has regeneration and resurrection abilities, so tear him apart again and again. That should be enough, right?”

Just as Veil was about to hesitate, Hedo spoke up.

“What’s there to think about, Veil? Go now, before he escapes.”

[Tch… Fine, fine.]

As Veil left, Jin fired a signal flare to call everyone together.