Episode 864
Chapter 215: Reunion with the Divine (5)
The moment Tujad embedded the orb into his body, the scenery of the pocket dimension began to shift.
The storm intensified, thunder and lightning crackled with even greater ferocity. The energy flowing from Tujad’s wounds wasn’t blood—it was the very essence of the Gram’s power.
Jin’s irritation flared.
“Gram’s energy… so it was something he could actually use?”
Jin hadn’t even considered the possibility of Gram’s power being accessible when he came looking for Feitel. Since he’d been preoccupied with Tujad, he hadn’t overheard Murakan and Feitel’s conversation and only just realized that Gram’s energy existed in a usable form.
That was why he was so annoyed. Every advantage, no matter how small, was precious in their fight to liberate the Golden Fleet and Laprarosa. And now Tujad was wielding that power.
Kaiman, Trax, Rujin, and Chin stared at Tujad in stunned disbelief.
“If this is how it ends, then at least go down alone. What the hell is this nonsense?”
“He should have at least withdrawn after reclaiming Gram’s energy. Why make things worse, Tujad? You were entrusted with full authority because you’re the strongest among us, and it was assumed you had the judgment to match…!”
Even Trax, known as the mad dog, couldn’t understand Tujad’s choice and shouted in frustration.
“It’s your first time using divine power, huh? But don’t think that just because you’re using it, you can beat me. The only thing this does is buy you a little more time to enjoy your pleasure—that’s all it’s worth.”
Tujad was truly mad. For him, winning or losing didn’t matter; what mattered was how much fun he could have fighting.
“So, you’ve been promised immortality over there, huh? And you’re willing to give that up just to indulge in pleasure? Even when you’re certain you can’t win?”
“Have you never experienced that? Going into battle knowing you’ll lose, knowing you’ll die?”
Of course, Jin had faced that many times.
But never for personal pleasure. His choices had always been made to uphold his beliefs, to protect those behind him.
“Well, everyone has their own values and ways of thinking. But prioritizing your own enjoyment while driving your allies into a corner isn’t something I can respect. And damaging something I need? That’s just unforgivable.”
Jin’s eyes sharpened, radiating a deadly aura that made the spirits around them feel a stinging sensation on their skin.
“Luna, Runtia.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Wrap up the ones you’re assigned to as quickly as possible and join me. I think we’ve had enough of these old swords.”
Luna and Runtia nodded. Crantel and the axe sword were imbued not only with aura but also with magic.
“Hey, Murakan, shouldn’t you step in? Gram’s energy isn’t something to take lightly. You’re being way too relaxed.”
Feitel’s worried words earned a scoff from Murakan.
“If Gram himself were here, maybe. But just getting stronger from residual energy? That’s meaningless.”
Meaningless.
Jin and the riders truly believed that.
If Tujad had broken through his limits during the fight and gained new insight, they’d have to be cautious. But this was just a power boost—no real threat.
Still, Jin told the riders to finish quickly and regroup with him to suppress Tujad’s pleasure as much as possible.
Swish!
Crantel sliced off Trax’s right arm in a single stroke. Kaiman and Trax were already shrinking back, overwhelmed by the Gram’s energy radiating from Tujad.
“Trax, I wanted to make you suffer more. The crime of harming the children of Runkandel won’t be erased in two hundred years, or even two thousand. But since you won’t enter immortality, you’ll continue to suffer somewhere after today.”
“Damn.”
Trax couldn’t finish his sentence before his head fell. Luna finished off the remaining Kaiman and wiped the blood from Crantel’s blade.
Rujin and Chin had no strength left to resist Runtia.
Though they had exchanged blows moments ago, even landing a critical strike on Runtia had no effect. The legendary fighters, known as the Wall of Kurano and the Fist of Power, couldn’t even scratch Runtia’s reinforced body.
“If you were born in a better era and died after making a name for yourself, that would be enough. But I don’t understand why you’d come back to life just to suffer this humiliation. No hard feelings, but when our lord gave you a chance, refusing to back down was an insult to Runkandel. The only price for that is death.”
Rujin and Chin’s breaths were cut short by Charles’ blade.
Only Tujad remained, strengthened by Gram’s energy. Jin unleashed his Divine Blade Extinction technique, already pressuring Tujad.
“Tujad doesn’t know how to use the energy at all. Still, this destructive power… If only we could retrieve the orb and harness this energy.”
With Luna and Runtia joining in, Tujad’s desired outcome was impossible.
He wanted a final, intense one-on-one duel with Jin—not to be mercilessly torn apart by Sigmund, Crantel, and Charles.
Feitel watched the three overwhelm Tujad and was shocked once again.
“…Even though my brother’s energy has pushed that worm to his limits. How is this possible?”
“Even if that kid was alone, he could kill Tujad in ten minutes. The former lord of Attila I killed had some pride, but this guy’s just childish. Talks about pleasure and all that nonsense—he just needs to be beaten.”
Jin hadn’t even used his trump cards like the Sovereign’s Reign Sword or the Magic Sword Secret Technique.
Because Tujad wasn’t worth showing them to. The pocket dimension, now raging like a thunder god had descended, and Tujad, transformed by Gram’s energy into something resembling the Sovereign race, looked utterly pathetic before Jin and the riders.
Tujad had given up immortality just to enjoy the fight.
But Jin, Luna, and Runtia were simply doing their duty with cold faces. In fact, Luna and Runtia bore more of the burden in this battle than Jin.
After all, it was the riders’ responsibility to carry out the lord’s orders.
Guhk!
Within five minutes, Luna and Runtia had completely subdued Tujad, forcing him to his knees before Jin.
The madness of pleasure was gone from Tujad’s face. Not replaced by regret, but by a hollow disappointment at such a pitiful outcome.
“Now you can lay down the title of ‘Divine Warrior’ and disappear as you wished.”
Jin reached out to the orb embedded in Tujad’s chest. Tujad looked up at him.
“…You need Gram’s energy, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“This device has already fully merged with me. If you forcibly remove it, it will be destroyed.”
“Is there a way to remove it without damage?”
“If you make a promise with me, I will personally undo the fusion and hand it over to you.”
“What do you want?”
“Swear on the honor of the Runkandel lord. If I give you this sword, you will fight me again one-on-one, seriously and earnestly. That alone is enough for me.”
“You really are a crazy senior.”
Jin had no choice but to accept the proposal.
He couldn’t trust Tujad, but fighting him one-on-one again wasn’t a difficult task. It was a risk worth taking.
Still, he felt uneasy—he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being used for Tujad’s pleasure.
Just as Jin was about to nod, Feitel suddenly dashed over and stood beside him.
“Ahem, Jin! There’s no need to listen to that worm’s request.”
“Feitel?”
“I can retrieve the item containing my brother’s energy. I was able to hide here because I can mimic his energy. I’ll recover it properly and hand it over.”
Watching Jin and the others fight, Feitel had changed his mind.
At first, he’d been reluctant to use his seal to help Jin, but now he saw this as a windfall.
“I have to keep my promise because of the seal. But if I fall out of favor with these guys, I’ll have nowhere to go. Since Giple has put a bounty on me, if I don’t get help from Runkandel and the Barmel Alliance, I’ll be doomed.”
Feitel’s pride as a god had already been shattered back when Jin was a novice rider on the Cheongsae Archipelago. Now, to stay under Jin’s protection, he had to prove he was useful.
“Feitel, what the hell is that worm saying…!”
“That worm’s got no right to shout. Did you really think I’d believe you could control my brother’s power? How dare you try to deceive the head of the Barmel Alliance?”
“…The Barmel Alliance?”
“Yulian and Kaltor are the Barmel Alliance, so naturally I’m a member too. If not, tell me the proper procedure. I’ll follow it faithfully. I’ve decided to be on your side from now on. Just forget the past and accept me.”
Yulian and Kaltor lowered their heads, embarrassed.
Jin saw through Feitel’s true intentions and smiled.
“Good thinking, Feitel. No, Feitel-san. From now on, you’re officially a god affiliated with the alliance. Let’s bury the past. How do you plan to extract Gram’s energy?”
[Just keep this bug restrained like this for about an hour, and then we can get it out safely. No need for that sketchy device from Ziphl. I’ll make a container right now and put it in there. You know the Brain Palace Harmila? Compared to crafting a weapon like that, this is a piece of cake.]
[Shut up, Feitel! Why are you butting in and messing things up all of a sudden?]
[Oh, so you want me to do you a favor after I almost got killed by you bugs? The right thing to do is to wholeheartedly help the chief who saved me. So shut your mouth and stay still. Once I drain all your energy, the chief will take care of erasing you.]
When Jin accepted Feitel’s suggestion, Tustad completely lost his composure and started yelling. But with Luna and Luntia holding him firmly, he couldn’t even move.
Feitel then sat down in front of Tustad and gave Jin a thumbs-up.
[From what I gather, you need my power to materialize abilities. From now on, I’ll make whatever you need. Looking forward to working with you, Chief! And Murakan, Luna, Luntia, and the other bugs… I mean, friends.]
Thus, a reunion fraught with bitter ties to the gods ended, transformed into a clear new beginning.