C241 - Individual Study, Group Study (6)
Fwoosh!
Jin regained consciousness once Tess returned to the Fire Kingdom. But controlling his body was not easy due to immense fatigue.
"Hey, you're awake, kid."
"This seems like a disaster. Is this the work of Tess?" Jin spoke after reactivating the Myulta Rune and taking a look around.
During the few minutes he had been unconscious, the unidentified elephant-shaped golem, hundreds of people, half-orcs, and biological golems had turned to ashes.
Tess had returned, but the blue flames surrounding the battlefield had not yet extinguished, radiating heat in the area. The three Nine-Star Mages had completely lost the will to fight and appeared dumbfounded.
"Well, you could say it was your doing since that knight basically borrowed your powers. Only, he used his divine knowledge and experience to explosively utilize that power and... No, that's not the point now. Take a look at this."
Jin lifted his head and looked towards the outer wall. A humanoid figure stood there and began descending slowly to the ground. "What is that supposed to be now?"
He tilted his head in puzzlement. The Nine-Star Mages followed the couple's gaze and looked towards the same area. They immediately tilted their heads upon seeing the faint figure, wearing an expression that said, we're saved.
"Greetings to our leader!"
"Greetings to our leader!"
The Mages kneeled down and shouted.
It was a shocking declaration for Jin and Murakan.
Is that supposed to be the Leader of Kinzelo?
Encountering this mysterious figure was completely unexpected.
Jin had never spent much time imagining what they might look like, but what he had imagined was not this. It didn't seem to fit in with a terrorist organization like the Kinzelo.
In fact, it emitted light.
It was as if a deity had descended to earth. The leader's faint spectral body had a glorious light shining around them.
"What's with that faint glow? It's like watching a giant firefly."
Murakan expressed his bitter appreciation, to which Jin shrugged. "Yeah, you're right."
Despite their casual exchange, both of them were nervous. If they were the leader of an organization that even the Zipple hesitated to wage war against, they undoubtedly had enough skills to prove their worth.
"I didn't even sense them approaching. Hmm, I'm sure they're dangerous. But there's something that doesn't feel real to me. There's no sense of weight in them, as if they were a spirit or a ghost."
The leader stood in the midst of the confrontation and did not move for a while. They didn't even spare a glance at their Mages. Their head was turned towards Jin.
There were about thirty steps between them. A skilled master could always launch an attack at that distance in the blink of an eye.
Murakan stood in front of Jin and raised his Shadow Energy to be able to counterattack immediately in case of an attack.
"At last, I meet the most wanted celebrity by the Zipple and the Vermont. Nice to meet you, Bamel."
The voice sounded deep.
"And as for you, Murakan, long time no see. I heard you woke up from your slumber. Ah, if you're guarding him, it seems Bamel is from the Runcandel. It seemed strange that such a big figure would suddenly emerge out of nowhere."
"What's your problem? Do you know who I am?"
"Of course, I know. I saved your life."
"Kuhaha, you crazy bastard. You saved my life? Who do you think you are, you miserable fool? Is this some kind of comedy? How ridiculous."
"When Temar tried to kill you after you lost control due to overload, I was the one who stopped that guy. Murakan, don't you remember who I am?"
Temar Runcandel.
The mere mention of his name painted Murakan's eyes with a murderous rage.
Murakan fiercely gathered his Shadow Energy as if he was about to attack but soon dismissed it.
"Bastard, whose name are you trying to bring up here? You may seem like an old demon, but there's no way Temar would have joined people like you. And overload? You must have heard something, huh? The one who lost control that day was..."
"Not you, but Temar? Is that what you're trying to say?" The leader displayed a soft smile.
To be precise, it wasn't exactly a smile. The faint portion where their lips should be opened in the shape of a crescent moon.
"Forget the fact that you don't recognize me. To think that you remembered that day was Temar's fault. I can't even imagine how disappointed the late one would feel if they ever found out."
"Bring up Temar's name once more, and I'll kill you and send all those scum called Kinzelo to hell." The only reason Murakan held back from launching an attack was Jin. If Jin had been fine, Murakan would have lunged without a second thought.
"That would have been impossible for you, even at your best. But I'm curious. Did your memory reconfigure itself in a more convenient way for you?"
"Shut your mouth!"
"Your reaction tells me that it's probably the latter."
***
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***
Murakan was about to transform into his true form. But Jin grabbed his shoulder. From the conversation, Jin could deduce that the leader knew Murakan quite well.
'This man understands perfectly what Murakan's weakest points are.'
Murakan's breath sounded rough due to his anger. Jin could feel him trembling through his hand on the dragon's shoulder. Jin decided that Murakan had fallen into the leader's game.
"It's just a provocation. Don't fall for it."
"That bastard, how dare he! Murakan's eyes seemed dazed as he spoke, as if he was enchanted.
"Calm down. It's the leader of Kinzelo. If we fight without preparations, it's more likely that we'll lose, especially when you're emotionally unstable."
Murakan wasn't exactly the rational and calculating type, but Jin had never seen him crumble so much over nothing but words.
"I understand. We all have something we hate to admit. Whether with reconfigured memories or not, your sorrow for losing that guy, Temar, would still be genuine. In a way, I pity you."
"Aaaaargh!"
"Murakan!"
Bam!
Jin hit Murakan on the back of his neck as hard as he could. He didn't have much strength left, but it was still as powerful as a normal person's hammer blow.
Murakan stopped and turned to Jin. "Kid? Why did you hit me? Have you gone mad?"
"Get a grip."
"What? What the hell are you... Oh!" Murakan shook his head. "Damn it. I was enchanted by that snake. Sorry for being a mess."
The Leader of Kinzelo hadn't resorted to any hypnotic or psychic spells, but sowing confusion in Murakan's unstable memories was much more effective.
"Oh, look at that. It would have been nice to be able to stop your atrocity so easily back then."
Jin spoke before Murakan could get angry again. "Look, you're not making much of an impression blabbering since you arrived. Murakan and I killed all your men. If you're the leader of Kinzelo, maybe that's the first thing you should be concerned about. Save your feelings about Temar and start worrying about those men of yours we reduced to ashes."
"The lineage of the Conquerors speaks. Yes, you're right. I may have given the impression of being frivolous. I was just glad to meet an old friend."
"If you realize that, come and avenge your men. Stop wagging that tongue of yours."
Kid, but I thought you just told me that we shouldn't confront him without preparations. Murakhan looked at Jin with those thoughts.
Of course, Jin didn't care. Jin spat towards the leader. He didn't forget to add a mocking gesture, flicking his finger.
"What are you waiting for? If you were strong enough to stop Temar, the first patriarch of the Runcandel Clan, you must be quite a figure, right? If what you say is true, I bet you could take us down with a single blow."
"What an intriguing guy."
"You're the one providing all the intrigue here by doing nothing. Maybe Murakan was right. You must be a comedian. Have you ever seen Temar? I have. He wasn't someone you dared to stop. What happened to all your boasting? Don't tell me you're scared now that you really have to fight."
Jin's horribly childish provocations were a gamble.
The truly powerful don't hold back their words. When they want to speak, they do so only after subduing the opponent.
That's what all the Transcendent Masters Jin had known did.
Cyron, Talaris, Luna, O'ul, Misha, among others. For them, conversation was a procedure that only followed after beating the other person to death or completely subjugating them through intimidation.
In contrast, provocation is something done when you don't have as much power or when you need to resort to a trick.
In that sense, the Leader of Kinzelo's approach was not that of the Transcendent Masters. They acted as if they would only agree to fight if Murakan attacked first. Just like a man who had a trap prepared and waiting.
"Alright, it seems we're going to have a session of charlatan psychotherapy since you've been making random comments about Murakan's memory before. This time, let me take a look into your mind. You came here to save those three and set some kind of hidden trap for them. But you're starting to get quite anxious because it doesn't seem like we're falling for the trap."
"Hahaha."
"What's so funny, asshole? Tell me I'm wrong. You didn't think this would be so easy, did you? Come on, answer me." Jin even went a step further.
But the Leader of Kinzelo didn't attack. They just stared at Jin intently. Obviously, Jin could tell that now the ball was entirely in his court.
But the Leader of Kinzelo's face was too faint to read.
Jin didn't know if they were highly embarrassed or highly content.
"That was a nasty blow. You're right, Jin Runcandel. You got almost everything right. You see, right now I'm not in a condition to take on both of you, not when I don't have bones in this body."
"Then hold on for a few more minutes. Let me figure out what this trap of yours is, and then I'll crush you myself."
"Don't forget I said almost everything."
Click, click, click!
Metal pieces instantly came together right in front of him. The metal pieces appeared out of thin air. They soon formed a sword.
It wasn't an aura sword. It actually formed a real sword!
The sword of the Leader of Kinzelo flew towards the Mages.
"L-Leader... Kuff!"
Chak!
The sword covered the distance in an instant and severed Suzanne Lilista's head.
Her head hit the ground, unable to finish the sentence she had started. She could only look at the leader with pitiful eyes. Then, the sword plunged into Chukon's chest and twisted after doing so. Not even the master of defenses could block an attack in such a state, especially if the attack came from their own master.
"I'm sorry, I can't save all of you."
Chukon fell forward and met his death.
Then, metal pieces appeared out of thin air once again, instantly forming a door, just as it had created a sword before. The door opened to reveal a dark space. The leader intended to escape into it with Joe.
The leader couldn't afford to lose Joe, and Joe understood this as well. That was why he had convinced himself that the leader would come to save him as long as he survived.
"I hope our next encounter will be more pleasant."
The door closed after the leader went through it. The metal pieces forming the door instantly dissipated into smoke.
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