Episode 79
Chapter 26. The Phenomenon Called Runcandel (2)

“That’s…!”

Jin’s eyes widened in shock as he stared up at the sky.

In his past life, he had overheard his brothers discussing the clan’s decisive battle several times.

Seeing the sky open up and a torrent of aura pouring down, he could guess it was the “Third Decisive Battle Meteor Shower,” but this was the first time he’d witnessed it with his own eyes.

And the secret technique of the clan he saw for the first time was—

“Stunningly beautiful… and so powerful.”

Countless sword auras rained down like meteors.

Each streak that struck the ground sent shivers through his entire body.

It felt as if he was witnessing the very limits of what a human, wielding a sword, could reach.

Clenching his trembling fists, Jin focused all his attention. He didn’t want to miss a single moment. He wanted to imprint every detail in his mind, hoping that one day he could recreate such a spectacle himself.

This overwhelming power.

While Quikantel was also entranced, his gaze fixed on the stars of aura painting the sky, the only one who remained indifferent was Murakan.

[A meteor shower of the decisive battle, it’s been a thousand years since I last saw one. Compared to Temar’s original, it’s a bit lacking, but your sister is still a monster.]

Boom! Crash!

With every meteor strike pounding the earth, the entire island seemed to scream.

The ground cracked grotesquely, rocks shattered into pieces, and the soil broke down into even finer particles.

The meteor shower rained down with the force of erasing everything it touched into nothingness.

Amidst this chaos, a lone dragon and a human desperately searched for shelter, looking small and pitiful.

They instinctively knew they couldn’t rely on weak power to endure this.

A crushing sense of despair overwhelmed the members of Jiple.

“This can’t be…! This isn’t possible!”

Andrei clutched the Demon God Stone tightly, repeating a prayer-like chant.

Buretta, having reverted to her true form, threw herself desperately at him.

“If only Andrei survives, we have a chance. If only Andrei survives!”

Even if his body were torn to a thousand pieces, as long as a small bone or a scrap of flesh remained, the power of the Demon God Stone could revive him.

That was why Buretta wasn’t afraid of death.

But Luna’s power…

It was still terrifying.

No matter how many times she came back to life, she was certain she would be killed again. Perhaps even if the Demon God Stone was fully unleashed, she wouldn’t be able to overcome this human.

Meanwhile, Luna remained frozen in her sword-striking stance, radiating a deep and profound dignity.

She paid no attention to the meteor shower or to Buretta being torn apart within it.

Only a feeling of dissatisfaction.

Despite having wiped the island clean and crushed the members of Jiple, she was far from satisfied.

“I’m still far from touching Father’s sword.”

The only time she had faced her father’s meteor shower in the past, it hadn’t been like this.

It was hard to explain, but it felt more transcendent—something that could hardly be called a human sword. Only when the entire space was dominated by that kind of presence could she truly say she had reached her father’s sword.

“Well, this should be a good lesson for the youngest. A good stimulus.”

If she never reached her father’s sword in the end—

Then you.

The youngest, you must.

Suddenly, that thought flashed through her mind as she glanced back.

She wanted to send a message to her younger sibling watching over this great but imperfect sword.

Grow stronger, become even more powerful, and become the head of the Runcandel clan.

And Jin clearly felt what his sister was trying to tell him. Even without words, without hearing her voice, even if she was far away and hard to see, he understood.

“You always teach me.”

It felt like a fire had been lit in his chest.

More than ever, his desire for the sword burned fiercely. He wanted to surpass his sister and father and ascend to the pinnacle of swordsmanship, and it took his breath away.

Jin would never forget this day.

When the meteor shower ended,

A massive hole had been torn in the center of the island.

From within it, a tsunami surged like a volcanic eruption, and there was no sign of Buretta or Andrei anywhere.

They had been incinerated.

Amid the rising waves of the tsunami, parts of Buretta’s corpse could be seen submerged here and there. Above, the sky was completely clear, not a single cloud in sight.

Because it was the place where the meteors had passed. The sky was clearer than ever, contrasting sharply with the tsunami.

Luna shook her head lightly.

“This is a bit insulting, isn’t it? To be so stubborn in front of your little sister… it’s annoying.”

Luna aimed Krantel at the tsunami.

At the same time, something hidden beneath the waves slowly emerged. Black, massive, and grotesque.

A face.

It looked exactly like the Demon God Stone’s, but then two arms, legs, and a torso followed, breaking free from the tsunami.

It was Andrei, fused with the Demon God Stone.

“Insane… what the hell is that? Is this the result of his artifact being unleashed?”

Even Jin, who didn’t fully understand the Origin Stone or Demon God Stone, knew this was far from normal. And it was too ominous and bizarre to be just an artifact’s effect.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this in my past life. It looks like a vengeful god has descended.”

There was no better word to describe that grotesque thing than “vengeful god.”

Quikantel’s tail curled inward. It couldn’t bear the instinctive fear.

Even if it was a fake, the “divine power” contained in the Demon God Stone was enough to evoke terror in dragons.

[Hah, it’s clear now. Kid, Jiple recreated the Origin Stone using a contractor. Fortunately, it’s still crude… I’ll explain more later. For now, we have to get out of here.]

“Get out of here?”

The “windless zone” Andrei had created had vanished. Murakan spread his wings and began to ascend, and Jin shouted reflexively.

“Sis, we have to protect Luna! We can’t let her face that alone!”

[No, that thing has to be killed immediately. If it lives, it will bring a terrible disaster. The Origin Stone is that kind of thing. And only your sister can end it here.]

“But—”

[Even though I’ve lost my power, my eyes are still sharp. Your sister can handle it. If it were the real Origin Stone, even Temar couldn’t have subdued it.]

As if she had heard everything, Luna waved her hand toward Jin and shouted,

“Don’t worry, just stay out of it!”

Still, Jin’s heart was filled with unease, but there was nothing he could do.

He instinctively felt that Murakan was right—this had to be dealt with now.

But the frustration was maddening. He had to just stand by and watch.

“After today, there will never be a day I feel this powerless again…!”

Jin gritted his teeth.

Yet Murakan quietly smiled, secretly proud of Jin.

“That kid… I always knew he wasn’t afraid. But to still radiate such fighting spirit after seeing that… I want to bite him to death out of pride.”

The fierce fighting spirit that tingled his spine was definitely Jin’s.

It was impossible to believe he was just a fifteen-year-old who had only just reached five stars.

“You will become the best, Jin Runcandel. Contractor of a thousand years.”

So even as Murakan fled, his heart felt light and exhilarated. He looked forward to the days ahead with this boy.

[Now, don’t be too discouraged. Learn well from your sister. The phenomenon called Runcandel. Today, Luna Runcandel will save the world!]

The moment he judged that the younger siblings had moved far enough from the island,

Luna began to cloak Krantel in aura. At the same time, Andrei, having fully emerged from the tsunami, looked down at Luna.

“Andrei Jiple. Hmm… your face is so grotesque it’s hard to recognize, but I suppose you’re wearing a confident expression right now. Thinking that now, as a monster with an artifact, you can kill me.”

A low, scratching laugh rumbled from her throat. As she said, Andrei no longer feared Luna.

[Twelve gods now slumber within me! Luna Runcandel, what do you have? Even if your father were here, he couldn’t stand against me.]

“Oh, twelve gods, huh? Unfortunately, I still only have one sword.”

Luna answered calmly.

[Show me all you have. I will gladly accept it!]

A smile spread across Luna’s lips. A smile full of disdain.

“You’re still deluded. If you had faced me with the magic you’ve honed your whole life, you might have been worthy of seeing even half of the void I’ve built.”

Just as Andrei was about to respond, Krantel began to glow red.

“Red aura?”

Andrei tilted his head in confusion. He had faced countless knights, but had never heard of a red aura before.

“In that sense, you’re not qualified.”

Krantel blazed as if engulfed in crimson flames.

“Out of pity for the foolish… I will teach you what a sword truly is. And you will naturally come to realize.”

You, who call yourself a “god,” have never even dared to face such a thing, let alone imprison it in that pitiful stone.

Because the man I have seen all my life, though a demigod, dominates the world alone.

“Or perhaps the gods you speak of were never anything greater than that?”

The crimson sword—

The Red Moon.

As Luna whispered, a crimson radiance began to spread along the Krantel.

It was a light that bathed the entire island—and even a slice of the sky above. Andréi, still intoxicated by the power of the Demon Stone, remained oblivious to the looming danger.

“Come forth! Witness your own helplessness.”

In an instant, the massive rift tearing through the island was cleaved in two by a surge of red sword energy.

A flash of scarlet briefly swept across the heart of the island.

Without a second glance, Luna retracted the Krantel and turned away, as if there was nothing more to confirm.

“Alr—”

She never finished her words. That unfinished phrase became Andréi’s final utterance.

Crack!

Shatter!

The Demon Stone hidden in Andréi’s chest broke apart.

At the same moment, the space where he stood shimmered and fractured like shattered glass, dark energies from the Demon Stone being sucked inward.

Even the massive boulders—no longer worthy of being called an island—were drawn into the warped void.

Just as Luna, seemingly overwhelmed, dropped to one knee and was about to be consumed by the encroaching darkness—

Whoosh!

Murakan descended at full speed, and Jin reached out his hand to Luna. She grasped it just in time, beaming brightly as she said,

“Looks like even the youngest saved me today.”