C305 - Temar's Second Tomb (3)
The witch's work? What does she mean by that? Is she implying that one can handle Shadow Energy without being Solderet's contractor through the powers of the witch?
The name Helluram, the former owner of Shuri, flashed in Jin's mind.
Of course, it was a bad time to ask about these things.
Fire began to spout from the broken sword. Fiercely red points of flames spread in lines, and the lines stretched across a surface, quickly dyeing the entire dark ethereal plane red.
The wounds Sarah had received over a thousand years were no longer visible on her body.
Instead of Shadow Energy, from where open scars had been before, flames burst forth, and soon her entire body was covered in flames. Even her hair, eyes, and nails turned into blazing fire.
Finally, her sword lost all its steel properties and also turned into a sword-shaped flame. Everyone who had seen her in this terrifying form rightly called her the goddess of fire.
"Really? This is insane! The secret moves of the magic swords (sorcerous swords)? The fire of retribution? Even in that state?" Murakan shouted.
Until that moment, he felt pain every time he saw the scars on the guardian's body, and his heart ached every time she called him a traitor.
But now, it wasn't just a feeling. Things had become real.
Murakan didn't believe the guardian could perform any secret moves of the magic sword because she was too injured, despite her nearly divine skill.
"Are you really going to kill us all?"
"Stop whining, Murakan! Not only did you betray us, but you also dare to mock me? I know my feeble flames can never harm you."
"No, it's not that."
"Then what are you trying to say, you filthy traitor?"
I never betrayed you, and I'm weaker now.
Murakan's response never reached the guardian's ears due to the sound of the bursting flames, though even if she had heard the words, they wouldn't have made any difference anyway.
A thousand years and all the battles that occurred over time had taken a toll on the guardian's body.
They had also worn down her mind. She was unable to make a rational assessment of the situation, and even as she fought against Jin's group, she constantly saw and heard hallucinations.
In her almost lunatic state, she could only blindly follow the mission etched into her soul: to kill anything that threatened the Runcandels.
She was entrusted with one more mission for Jin's sake, but the guardian forgot her second objective in the countless battles she fought.
It seemed like the flame was going to engulf the entire world.
If it were Sarah in her prime and without injuries, it would be a literal description. The retribution fire she was now releasing barely contained twenty percent of the strength with which she incinerated the Zipple Magicians a thousand years ago.
She had no choice. Her injuries prevented her from using all of her mana and aura, and she no longer had her former phoenix, Maniere.
However, the guardian's retribution fire easily pushed back Murakan's Shadow Energy and secured the battlefield.
Flames and Shadow Energy intertwined and created grotesque patterns high in the sky of the ethereal plane. The entire plane swayed as if it could collapse at any moment, and the furious heat and Shadow Energy also restricted the flight patterns of the dragons.
"Quikantel!"
"I know. I'll try to stop it as much as I can. Grab the flames!"
Quikantel's silver eyes shone as she descended. Ziiiing! A sharp tone resonated as a wave spread from Quikantel's forehead.
The wave carried the power of time.
It was the same divine power that Quikantel had used against Andrei Zipple and Biuretta, the wind dragon, in the past.
Anything that came into contact with her rapidly spreading net-like wave lost its element of time.
In Biuretta's case, her entire body froze when the tip of her wing got caught in the wave.
But the guardian's flames only slowed down even when fully enveloped by the time wave, and they continued to spew infernal fire as they advanced.
Quikantel's powers weren't enough to completely halt the guardian, which wouldn't have been different even if Olta, the god of time, had manifested herself.
The guardian went further.
She swung her fiery sword and cleaved the oncoming waves. The waves lost their strength after being cleaved and dissipated like loose threads.
The guardian was unable to neutralize all the waves that restrained her flames, but the fact that she could do so was astounding.
The guardian advanced.
She cleaved the waves and approached Jin. However, her gaze remained fixed on Murakan.
The guardian was aware of Murakan's strength because she thought he was the only threat she would face.
Indeed, that would have been true if the guardian and Murakan had been at their best.
"Hey, spectator. Oh, wait. I guess I can't call you that anymore. Anyway, Quikantel. Why don't you leave it be? If you keep fighting, you'll only embarrass that god of yours who's so concerned about his reputation and dignity."
Quikantel gritted her teeth.
It wasn't that the guardian's words wounded her ego. Quikantel was using all the divine power she could muster. However, the guardian neutralized her powers too easily.
Earlier, the guardian accused her own retribution fire of being tepid.
But that was only by her own standards. Although the retribution fire spread a distance, the amount of heat it radiated through the shield barrier was enough to keep the group on alert.
After Quikantel's powers ran out, only Murakan, Quikantel, and Jin with the Reign of the King of Legends would be able to fight through the flames.
Unfortunately, Jin hadn't recovered enough to execute the Reign of the King of Legends, and he would have to risk permanent damage to his Light Heart if he pushed himself.
Therefore, Jin had to ensure the battle was decided before Quikantel's powers ran out.
"Quikantel, how much longer do you think you can hold out?"
"Five minutes," Quikantel replied tremblingly. The time was shorter than Jin had expected.
Fortunately, he came up with a way.
The barrier is melting even though Murakan and Quikantel are protecting us from the flames before they reach us. I can't believe how powerful these flames are. Once Quikantel's powers run out, we're sure to suffer severe damage.
Jin, Gilly, Kashimir, Alisa, and Enya. In fact, even Jet was contributing. The six of them were casting shield barriers together.
It seemed like they were protecting each other, but the martial artists' shield barriers were not really effective at protecting others.
"Enya?"
"Yes, Lord Jin!"
"I need to return to the battle. Once I leave the group, you have to shoulder the largest area of the shield barrier."
Jin was currently playing that role. Unlike the other martial artists, Jin could use both aura and mana to cast shield barriers. Since he was the strongest in the group, it was the logical choice.
But now, Enya had to assume Jin's role as the group's Magician. Although Enya was still in the early stages of the five-star level, the effectiveness of her shield barriers as a Magician was far superior to that of the martial artists in protecting others.
"Do you think you can handle it?"
"I'll try."
"I need you to be certain. If you can't do it, I must consider other options."
Jin didn't intend to scold or pressure her, but he couldn't afford to risk his comrades' lives on uncertainty.
If only the martial artists had been Magicians of their respective levels, Jin wouldn't have needed to worry about them at all.
Soon, Enya's eyes filled with determination. She nodded. "I can do it, Lord Jin. But please, hold your current position for just two minutes while I cast a new spell."
Enya recalled an old memory.
"It will take some time, but I'll manage on my own in the end. I don't want to keep being someone who constantly needs your protection, as it happened today. So, please, don't tell me not to worry about these things."
"..."
"I am Enya, Olta's contractor. One day, I will become a great Magician in whom you trust the most."
That had been their conversation when they were eradicating the remaining forces of the Dark Magic Guild.
Jin remembered the same and smiled.
Although she was not yet a great Magician, Enya had made great progress while Jin was in Lafrarosa. Her talent was certainly impressive. That's why Olta, the God so picky about bloodlines, had to succumb and choose a commoner like Enya to be her contractor.
"Alright, I got it."
Enya sat down in a meditation position and deactivated her shield barrier. Naturally, this increased the burden on the rest of the group. Jin had to push his mana production to the maximum, running the constant risk of mana backlash.
Enya's eyes twitched as she began casting the spell.
The two minutes felt like centuries, but Enya managed to calm herself from the urgency and completed the steps skillfully without succumbing to the backlash.
The spell she cast was something Jin had given her at the end of his days as a provisional flagbearer: extreme defense spells.
Among the spells Chukon Tolderer left as his legacy, the Dragonfire Barricade was the epitome of his extreme defense spells.
The runic character for extreme defense began to shine on Enya's shoulder.
"You can go now, Lord Jin!"
Enya gave a thumbs-up, despite the blood oozing from her mouth. A blue barrier began to form around her.
The Dragonfire Barricade. Like its namesake, it was a spell created by Chukon to fight against dragons. The barrier was meant to protect the caster from dragon breath.
Although Enya had not yet fully mastered it, she used Olta's powers to compensate for the lack of mana.
"I'll leave this to you, then."
He only had about three minutes left.
Jin exited the barrier. He also had a spell already cast.
Simultaneous casting.
The skill that made Jin a Magician above all others. While replacing Enya in the shield barrier, Jin cast another spell, along with the Shadow Blade he was already casting.
It was the spell that meant doom for anyone using magic: Inverted Sky, Kiddard Hall's heritage.
Dame Sarah's mana is only around eight stars right now.
The retribution fire tore through Murakan's Shadow Energy like paper and sliced through Quikantel's divine powers like they were thin strings.
However, the mana behind it was only about eight stars. It was the nine-star aura that added to the eight-star mana and Runcandel's magical sword's unique powers that magnified his prowess to such extremes.
Jin knew that it would undoubtedly cause a mana backlash.
Of course, there was no sure way to know if it would work.
Given the person Sarah was, she might be able to retaliate against the Inverted Sky, even in her current state and despite that enormous spell.
That's why he also prepared the Shadow Blade.
Jin had learned new Shadow Blade techniques from the battle kings of Lafrarosa while he was there, and he chose to execute the second and seventh techniques.
The Scissors and Shadow Assault.
"Even if she falls into a backlash, I'll only have one shot. No matter how injured Dame Sarah is. Engaging her in close combat without the Reign of the King of Legends is suicide."
Mana left Jin's hand and formed the Inverted Sky orb.
Once the Inverted Sky was completed, the shadow at Jin's feet rose and joined its master.
Tags:
SYS (Novel)