Episode 78
Chapter 26: The Phenomenon Called Runkandel (1)
The axe-sword, Krantel.
That strange weapon, with its greatsword blade sharpened like an axe, was born purely from Luna’s personal taste.
At first glance, it looked heavy and unwieldy. In fact, its weight easily surpassed that of three or four average men combined.
Yet, in Luna’s hands, the axe-sword moved as lightly as a feather.
Swish! Clang!
Her first strike sliced through Bress, and the follow-up cut knocked the Masked Stone’s face aside. Bress was cleaved in two, scraping the empty ground, while the face flew like a ball toward Andrei.
Andrei, who had been calm since pulling out the Masked Stone, suddenly tensed. Even Buretta, who had landed on the ground, hesitated to launch another attack.
The atmosphere on the battlefield shifted the moment Luna appeared.
She stepped forward in front of Jin, scanning the battlefield for a moment before breaking into a faint smile.
“Jiple’s subordinate and the Wind Dragon, huh? Well, it takes this level to be worthy of calling me ‘big sister.’ Little one, are you hurt anywhere?”
Turning with the sun at her back, Luna looked over her shoulder.
The moment Jin met her deep gaze, he was certain of one thing.
This fight was already won.
When people say someone is ‘strong,’ this is exactly the kind of person they mean.
“No, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. If you’d been hurt, I’d have had to kill them all and tear through the Jiple main house afterward.”
Jin shivered at those words—not just because he felt the depth of his sister’s care, but also because he realized that for Luna, tearing through the Jiple main house was far from impossible.
“Anyway, I missed you. Without you around, every day was unbearably dull. You felt the same, didn’t you?”
“I suppose so.”
“You’re such a cutie.”
Just then, Murakan arrived and wrapped his two wings around Jin.
“You little brat, you sure lucked out having such a great sister. Phew, I thought you were a goner.”
“Murakan, I guess it’s a bit awkward to say this since we’re meeting for the first time, but as the eldest daughter of Runkandel, I should properly introduce myself. Though I’m a bit busy now, please take care of the little one.”
“Alright. Then I’ll leave the rest to you, Luna Runkandel.”
“Big sister, be careful. That artifact called the Masked Stone revived the Wind Dragon once already.”
“Don’t worry, little one. The adults will handle it.”
Jin slung the axe-sword over his neck, and Quikantel clenched it in his mouth as Murakan took off at a sprint. It was a somewhat comical sight, but they had to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Luna.
At their current state, they needed at least 500 meters to be safe from her sword’s reach.
“Alright, alright, let’s just watch the show now. Quikantel, don’t be embarrassed. The Source Stone is something even dragons fear, even if it’s a fake.”
It didn’t take long for Jin’s group to put some distance between themselves and the battle.
Until then, Andrei and Buretta had only been glaring at Luna, seemingly at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Luna’s focus was fixed on the ‘Masked Stone’ Andrei held.
What on earth is that? Such a sinister power… It’s similar to the aura of the demon I defeated long ago.
Whatever it was, Luna thought firmly:
There is nothing I cannot cut.
With that conviction, she slowly leveled her axe-sword at Andrei.
“Are you going to keep playing mute? Andrei Jiple. I’d like you to explain why someone like you is involved with my little brother.”
Andrei furrowed his brow.
“…Heh, this is an unexpected variable. Baekkyung, Runkandel just broke the oath. Your little brother used magic.”
“That’s right, she broke the oath. Though I doubt your family will ever hear about it. Oh, if you want, I can personally tell Kelliac. I’ll even mention how you ran scared from the banquet after meeting my father.”
Andrei gritted his teeth.
Luna Runkandel… How dare this insignificant woman.
But he couldn’t show his anger.
She’s just an ordinary human, not even worthy of being nourishment for the Masked Stone. Unless she’s a demigod like my father, she can’t handle this power.
Andrei firmly believed in the Masked Stone’s power.
And he assumed Luna had no idea what kind of power it truly was.
If she’d used magic as usual, she’d be tricky to deal with. But with the Masked Stone, there’s no way I’ll lose. Nothing’s changed.
With that thought, Andrei’s gaze calmed once more.
“Well then. I’ve always thought there would come a day when we’d settle this. Let’s see if the lofty name of Baekkyung truly fits your skill.”
“The Jiple I’ve met always have a talent for making boring words even more boring. Just like you!”
Whoosh!
With a single leap, Luna closed the distance to stand right before Andrei.
The moment he flinched, her axe-sword traced a heavy arc.
“And strangely enough, among the Jiple—”
Crack!
Andrei barely parried Luna’s first strike with the Masked Stone’s face. At the same time, Buretta stretched out her long neck to strike Luna, but the next moment, Luna was already at Buretta’s side.
“Not many people really know me.”
Slash!
One of Buretta’s wing tips was sliced off. The damage was minor, but what unsettled Buretta was that she only realized she’d been cut after the fact.
What kind of speed is this…?!
Light.
To Buretta and Andrei, Luna’s movements were like light itself. Impossible to track with the eyes, they could only react based on guesswork—an absolute speed.
“Dragon, are you going to keep fighting me in your true form? Being so big won’t do you any favors.”
Surprisingly, Buretta took that humiliating advice and transformed into a human. As she said, if she lost sight of Luna’s movements even for a moment, she’d be torn to pieces.
The Jiple did have some information on Luna.
Being considered the strongest since Siron, the Jiple had relentlessly gathered intel on her. But their informants who got too close were often killed.
Every Jiple who had fought her directly was dead—without exception.
So, to the Jiple, Luna was even more of a mystery than Siron. Rumors of her strength were rampant, but no one had truly faced her.
They only knew she was transcendentally strong.
Could a human who isn’t a contractor really possess such power? Someone other than Siron?
For a moment, Andrei almost convinced himself that Luna might be a contractor capable of ‘feeding’ the Masked Stone.
But the Masked Stone had shown no reaction since earlier. That meant Luna was a perfectly ordinary human.
When I return, I’ll have to revise the family’s plans for Runkandel. If we let them grow stronger, the Jiple might fall first.
Andrei couldn’t help but worry about his family’s future.
Meeting Luna today is a godsend. If I don’t kill her now, the next chance will be after the Masked Stone is complete…!
As the battle began, Andrei’s perception of Luna rapidly shifted.
Without the Masked Stone, she was someone he could never face.
Holding the Masked Stone, on this deserted island with no witnesses.
How often would he get a chance to face Luna Runkandel?
There would be no second chance.
“Buretta!”
At Andrei’s urgent call, Buretta nodded. Having fought together for so long, they understood each other without words.
Whoosh!
Compressed wind gathered in Buretta’s grasp, forming something.
An invisible spear made of wind.
Even after transforming into a human, Buretta’s neck remained darkened, shimmering black. The power of the Masked Stone infused at her resurrection was now being unleashed.
“I salute you. I never thought I’d have to use this power against a human.”
“You must be old, but it seems you haven’t had much experience with humans.”
Luna remained composed.
But as the Masked Stone’s power flared at Buretta’s neck, Luna sensed a change in her movements.
This isn’t magic. It’s closer to divine power. Now I understand why it felt similar to demonic energy. And this dragon is starting to give it her all…
Probably to buy Andrei time to fully draw out the Masked Stone’s power.
With that thought, Luna scoffed.
A grandmaster mage who’s reached the ninth rank, and a Wind Dragon. Do you really believe this power you got for free will save you?
She was utterly incredulous.
Why had Runkandel never defeated the Jiple who acted so arrogantly with such a pathetic human?
A fleeting thought crossed Luna’s mind.
There’s no way this weakling is the Jiple’s second-in-command. The real one must be someone unknown to the public.
Watching from afar, Jin shared a similar thought.
Something’s off. I’ve known Luna’s prowess was incredible, but is that really a ninth-rank mage?
It was clear that he was running low on mana from operating the demon stone, which prevented him from casting proper spells. After all, the initial burst of mana he showed had even shocked Jin.
But even considering that, the extent to which Luna was dominating was something Jin hadn’t anticipated.
“Either he’s a fake Andrei, the information about Andrei has been exaggerated due to G-PL’s information control, or there’s someone else pulling the real strings behind G-PL. One of the three,” the siblings concluded.
As they reached that judgment, Buretta’s spear swelled to an enormous size.
Wind, aura, mana, and the energy of the demon stone—all four forces were simultaneously infusing the spear.
“Do you really think that clumsy, bloated power alone could pierce me just once and give you a chance? Dragon,” Luna said.
The spear, swollen beyond recognition, was no longer something you could simply call a spear.
Buretta swung it relentlessly, ignoring Luna’s taunts, and she felt a pang of pity.
How had a being born as a dragon fallen so far?
After dodging two strikes, Luna stopped moving, as if she had made up her mind.
“Then I’ll show you. I wasn’t planning on dragging this out anyway. I’ll take you head-on.”
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the axe-sword Krantel blazed with radiant light. Streams of aura flowed endlessly along its blade.
The aura felt vast and boundless, like the sun itself—so intense it seemed less dangerous and more sacred.
Rune Candle Third Battle Technique: Meteor Shower.
The moment Luna raised the axe-sword, the aura covering the blade shot skyward at the speed of light.
And as the blade came down—
True to its name, the clouds parted, and a meteor shower of aura began to pour down.
Right onto the small patch of earth where the arrogant members of G-PL stood.