Episode 95
Chapter 32: The Battleground of Cosmos (6)
“Four, no—five.”
Judging by how poorly they tried to mask their presence, these weren’t trained assassins. Their faint, ragged breathing betrayed their nerves—they were tense, on edge.
If it were Dante, utterly exhausted to the point of collapse, maybe. But these guys were nowhere near strong enough to handle Jin.
“There’s no need to drag this fight into such a cramped space. Besides, I don’t want to turn the room I have to stay in for a few more days into a bloodbath.”
With a purposeful stride, Jin stepped boldly toward the iron bars. The assassins froze instantly. Before they could even exchange a glance—
“This isn’t Paul Mick’s room.”
Shing!
In a flash, Jin slashed down an assassin pressed against the corridor wall. This time, he wasn’t going to settle for just cutting off a finger or an arm.
He’d already made his warning clear on the first day: anyone who came into his room next time wouldn’t just lose a limb—they’d lose their life.
“Aaagh!”
The assassin’s head fell cleanly with a single stroke. The man behind him screamed reflexively.
As Jin had guessed, there were five assassins in total. One was dead, leaving four—but no one saw exactly when the first assassin’s head was severed.
Since his sparring match with Alisa, Jin’s swordsmanship had sharpened even further.
“Take this!”
Thunk!
The second strike pierced an assassin’s heart. The remaining three lunged at once, but their swords were stiff and clumsy, trembling with fear.
Even if their blades were coated with deadly poison, it was useless if they couldn’t land a hit. Jin easily dodged the gleaming poisoned blades and pressed his attack.
“We—we didn’t come to kill you!”
“Sure, you came for Paul Mick. But since you came into my room, that’s the end of it.”
Bradamante’s blade danced smoothly, spraying blood with every graceful movement. A few participants from nearby rooms peeked out at the sudden massacre but quickly ducked back, wary of stray danger.
Just as Jin was about to finish off the remaining assassins, something glimmered in his peripheral vision down the hallway.
An arrowhead flashed as the bowstring was drawn.
“A sniper too? Or… were these guys just bait, planning to shoot once Dante stepped outside?”
Clang!
Jin barely deflected the arrow. Had he missed that glint, he would have been seriously wounded.
Whish! Whish!
A volley of arrows followed—at least ten fired simultaneously.
But Jin had anticipated this. He’d already lifted a corpse as a shield. The arrows thudded into the dead man’s back, their tips coated with the same sickly yellow poison.
“These bastards…”
Anger surged through Jin.
They weren’t mortal enemies, yet these guys were willing to go this far. What kind of twisted minds did they have?
“The tournament’s always been rough, but this is over the top. And these guys… they’re way too organized to be ordinary participants.”
Dropping the corpse, Jin leapt between the walls, charging toward the snipers.
His plan was to kill all but one, then interrogate the survivor. What were they thinking, attacking so recklessly? And who was backing them?
Just like the assassins’ swordsmanship had been subpar, the archers weren’t particularly skilled either. Jin’s acrobatic, unpredictable movements threw off their aim.
“I need to finish this quickly. Someone might try to hit Dante while I’m away from the door.”
As the distance closed and sword flashes began to fly, Jin let the fleeing archers go.
He wanted to chase them down and finish them off, but Dante’s safety came first. These guys could be killed anytime, but owing a favor to Hiran’s next head was a rare opportunity.
Shing! Shing!
Heads dropped without mercy. Killing three of the four remaining assassins who couldn’t escape took only seconds.
“P-please spare me!”
“Shut up.”
Bam!
Instead of his sword, Jin struck the last assassin with a fist, knocking him out cold. Then he dragged the unconscious man back into the room.
The other participants, watching from their rooms, dared not even breathe.
“Hey. Wake up.”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Back inside, Jin slapped the assassin’s cheek mercilessly. Dante remained asleep, oblivious to everything.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
“Alright, I’m going to ask you three questions. If your answers satisfy me, I’ll let you go. If not, you’re going upstairs. If you don’t answer within three seconds, same deal. Got it?”
The man nodded frantically.
“First: who are you?”
“We’re… enemies. Please, let me explain! Put the sword down! We’re under the command of One-Eyed Joe, last year’s tournament champion…”
“Second: why target Paul Mick? Why such an organized attack?”
“Joe said Paul Mick is from a powerful family, and we should capture him for ransom.”
“What family?”
“Joe believes it’s the Runcandel family…”
Jin chuckled involuntarily.
“Runcandel, huh? So they’re stupid enough to pull this off even knowing that? Ignorance truly is terrifying.”
“Why poison the arrows then? You want a hostage, not a corpse.”
“We have the antidote.”
“Third: where is Joe now? Is he a participant?”
“No, this year he’s just a spectator. He ordered us to capture Paul Mick.”
Dante had participated in this tournament in his past life.
Back then, he was captured by these pirates and held hostage. Hiran had to pay a huge ransom to a petty pirate gang and swear not to retaliate before finally rescuing Dante.
That incident caused internal strife in Hiran, leading to massive losses.
Jin didn’t know this secret history, but thanks to him saving Dante just now, Hiran’s future had been altered.
“Hmm… if this guy’s telling the truth, Dante was easily kidnapped in his past life. And these pirates probably extorted a hefty ransom from Hiran through their hostage-taking.”
Even the world’s most powerful families had no choice but to comply when a key figure was held hostage—especially if that person was the heir.
“Of course, if it really is the Runcandel family, they’d just order the hostage killed and wipe out the entire pirate crew, their families, relatives, even innocent neighbors…”
That was the Runcandel way—different from other great houses.
“Alright, good. I like your answers. You’re free to go.”
“Th-thank you!”
“But you’re leaving two fingers behind.”
“Huh?”
“Exactly as I said. If you don’t want to, you can leave with your head instead.”
Better two fingers than a life.
Gaaah!
The pirate, defeated, cut off two fingers himself and shuffled back to his room.
Jin sat back down, waiting for Dante to wake.
Seventeen hours later, as evening fell again, Dante finally stirred.
Jin wasted no time telling him everything—the hardships he’d endured to protect him, and how he’d captured one of the pirates and learned about One-Eyed Joe’s backing.
“You mean they mistook me for a Runcandel and tried to take me hostage? That One-Eyed Joe pirate must be seriously crazy. It’s ridiculous enough to make me laugh. Runcandel? Unbelievable.”
Dante laughed heartily, shaking his head. Noticing Jin’s steady gaze, he added:
“Ah, since you’re my benefactor, I suppose I should explain. I am a noble, as they said. Not Runcandel, though… I’m hesitant to reveal my exact family name. Just knowing I’m a Bimont noble should be enough.”
Dante worried that if Jin learned he was from Hiran, his attitude might change.
He’d often traveled under an alias, and whenever his identity was revealed, former friends would suddenly grovel.
Jin stifled a laugh, clearing his throat.
“Well, no need to say I’m Jin Runcandel. They’ll find out soon enough. Veradin doesn’t seem the type to keep secrets.”
Jin nodded.
“Hmm! I understand. Everyone has moments when they want to hide who they are.”
“Thank you. I’m truly glad I came to you. If I’d faced those guys alone, I’d have been in serious trouble… I don’t know how to repay you for this kindness.”
Gratitude shone deeply in Dante’s eyes.
“You don’t realize how big a favor you’ve done. I doubt a true warrior like you wants money. Not just a fine sword—no, no material thing can express my thanks properly!”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Jin felt good inside too. He was sure he’d made Dante feel a real debt of gratitude.
“Yes, yes. I don’t need a sword or money. What matters is the heart—the feeling that you owe me a debt.”
Dante looked Jin squarely in the eyes, as if making a firm decision.
“This is how it should be. Life for life. From now on, whenever you’re in danger—no matter the situation—if you ask, I will risk my life to fight alongside you and protect you. I swear it on all my honor.”
“Hm, you do what you want. Anyway, like we agreed, I’m going to sleep now, so just make sure you keep your promise. Wake me when the 13th match starts.”
“Understood! Oh, and just so you know, my protecting you now has nothing to do with that vow I just made.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
With a soft snore, Jin, like Dante in the early morning, immediately fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
Watching him quietly, Dante thought to himself,
“Come to think of it, I don’t even know this friend’s name. Looks like the finals of this tournament will be between you and me… No matter the outcome, I’ll have plenty to tell my grandfather when I get back.”