[T/L: punisher87]
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Bang, Kwang! Skung-!
Every time Berakt swung his sword, the cave ceiling was cut like a piece of paper, revealing the sky above.
The Spectres solely focused on defense as soon as he began his attack.
Amidst the ear-splitting noise of crashes and roars, Margiella looked at Jin with a smiling face.
"Surely, you won't pretend not to remember like you last time in the Holy Kingdom? I believe you're not so shameful to do that again."
Even though Jin received help, there won't be any moment after today when Jin would be happy to see the crazy group, Kinzelo.
It was because Jin saw them fundamentally as madmen conducting living golem experiments and their purpose is to become sole ruler of the world like Zipfel.
Of course, Jin also intended to ascend to the throne of Runcandel, and become the ruler of the world but at least he did not use humans as mere experimental materials like them.
Above all, Kinzelo was ultimately a competitor and an enemy.
"Debt? Since this is your territory, you should have appeared anyway, right?"
"Oh, my, what a bitter thing to say. We came to rescue you. It's unfortunate that the cute beastmen died, but if you weren't in danger, we would have left them alone. This place isn't even that important."
"How did you know I was in danger?"
"That's a trade secret!"
Given the abilities the leader possessed, it didn't feel particularly surprising even if Kinzelo was monitoring the entire territory through a crystal ball.
"Anyway, I have no intention of harboring feelings like being in debt, so spare me your nonsense. If you came just to rescue me, then it's advantageous for you, a result of your choice."
"Hmph, you made a valid point. Can't you at least make your words sound prettier? If you stumble, it is possible that mister Berakt might even devour you, Sir Jin."
Kraaak! Aaah, cough-!
The Spectres' screams continued. It seemed they hadn't suffered fatal injuries yet, but Berakt was completely overwhelming them.
Jin let out a laugh.
"I guess I should retreat. And I can not say about Kinzelo, but I will just let Ivelianos go with a small mistake or two against Runcandel."
"Hey, are you planning to go after the escaped small beastmen?"
Joe interjected, stroking his thin beard.
"What will you do about it?"
"I recommend leaving if possible. We have no intention of sending people over there. It means don't waste the life we worked hard to save recklessly."
"But Sir Jin, it wasn't Mr. Joe who saved you, it was mister Berakt, right?"
"Mar... I mean, Moruriella, if you say it like that, won't I be embarrassed?"
"Haha, if mister Berakt had heard what you just said, he would have gone on a rampage again. I'm worried he might really kill Mr. Joe someday."
Joe scratched his head due to embarrassment.
Among the Kinzelo executives, Cold Joe, infamous 9-star mage, was almost treated as a joke.
Jin didn't respond to Joe's words and exchanged a glance with Margiella for a moment.
'This woman, even during the Holy Kingdom incident, who exactly is she? There isn't much known about her in the public eye, but does she possess some special ability? Seems like she holds a significant position within Kinzelo.'
It probably wasn't just because she is the cherished younger sister of Bishkel, one of Kinzelo's executives.
Margiella just smiled meaningfully, as if she could see right through Jin's thoughts.
"Until we meet again, Sir Jin. It was nice to meet you."
Woah!
[Mya!]
Jin summoned Shuri by taking out ruby from his pocket. Margiella found Shuri's appearance adorable and giggled to herself, while Jin abruptly left the place.
"H-hey, he's so rude!"
Joe clicked his tongue and complained, but Margiella shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, still, he's cool. I like that style."
Jin ran at full speed, praying that the small beastmen hadn't been engulfed by the flames yet.
After running for about ten minutes without seeing any sign of the small beastmen, Jin felt intense anxiety.
'How on earth did those little guys move so quickly? I dare say there aren't many creatures on the surface that can move faster than Shuri, maybe none at all.'
Although the battle with the Spectres didn't last that long, he was already getting frustrated that he couldn't catch up with them after running for ten minutes.
Suddenly, Shuri's tracking of the small beastmen' footprints came to an abrupt stop.
'They must have moved along the river!'
He was at the riverbank. Jin could see how the small beastmen could move so quickly.
Splash!
Shuri leaped into the river and started swimming with all its might.
The Watertails could swiftly move along the river whenever they had a few large leaves that grow in land of beastmen, effectively using them as boats.
Jin felt relieved. If they followed the river downstream, the Spectres wouldn't have many means to pursue them.
After another twenty minutes of following the river, Jin finally encountered one of the small beastmen. It was Darkflame.
"Darkflame!"
"Oh, Jin, it's you."
Darkflame was riding a leaf-made boat alone, carrying something that looked like fireworks on its back.
"What about the rest of the beastmen?"
"They are there, running, hiding."
"Why are you the only one left behind?"
"Something, dangerous, happens. I'll, warn."
As the leader of the Watertail tribe, Darkflame was sacrificing himself for the sake of the other beastmen.
"The Spectres on the cave side have been taken care of."
"Oh, that's a relief."
"But two other specters are looking for you, so we shouldn't stay here. We need to regroup quickly."
Upon hearing this, Darkflame widened its eyes and nodded.
"Understood. Follow me. Come."
Whoosh!
Darkflame took a deep breath, and it seemed incredible how much air his small body could hold. With his breath fully taken, he looked like a giant barrel about to explode.
Whoosh...! Splash, splash, splash!
As Darkflame exhaled, the wind spread like a shockwave, and the speed of the leaf boat increased remarkably.
Moreover, with the typical thin tail of the Watertails, it created a water spout, making it difficult for Shuri to keep up.
[Mya, mya, mya, mya!]
At such a tremendous speed down the river, it didn't take long for them to spot the remaining beastmen. All the Golden Snow tribesmen were on the leaf boats of the Watertails.
"Oh! Our partner! You've come back alive! You kept your promise!"
Peng, vigorously waving his hand, shouted with excitement.
"Wow!"
"Wow!"
The small beastmen hugged each other tightly, shouting in joy. Jin felt a moment of pride at the sight, but he knew that things were far from over.
"Wha-what, what's that?"
"That, what is it?"
The Watertails pointed behind Jin and Darkflame.
"Crazy, it's the mages! Everyone, speed up, guys!"
"Human mages are chasing us!"
They turned around and indeed saw the mages, two of them dressed in gray robes. They were using wind and ice magic spells to follow the beastmen on the other side of the river.
Similar to how Barton unleashed multiple sword strikes to gain propulsion for flight, they were wildly using magic to catch up with the beastmen.
"Everyone, bow down, and head to the land!"
Jin drew his sword and shouted.
The Spectres were already aiming attack spells at them. On the river, no matter how fast they moved, they couldn't avoid the attacks, and there was no way to take cover.
"Uh, aah."
"Oh no, save the Golden Snow tribesmen!"
The Watertails quickly turned the direction of their leaf boats. The Golden Snow tribesmen threw all their gold pouches and nuggets into the river.
Ziiing!
As the attack began, Jin leaped into the air and extended his sword.
'Darn it, even though I suppressed the mana backflow during the journey, I'm not in a condition to fight properly yet...!'
He needed to use the Black light Call.
However, there was no room to unleash the Black light call right now. The barrage of mana beams kept pouring in relentlessly, leaving him with no energy to use other techniques while dealing with them.
'As long as I buy time until the small beastmen escape, it will be fine. After that, I just need to call the Plutonian brethren, and it'll be over!'
It was another battle against time. Would the beastmen escape first, or would Jin exhaust himself first?
"Darkflame!"
"Uh, yes!"
"Listen carefully. Once you get to the land, don't run into the forest. All of you should flee toward the open plains. If you head into the forest, they will set it on fire entirely. Got it?"
"Understood, yes!"
Luckily, the river was narrow, so the small beastmen swiftly climbed to the land.
In response, the Spectres quickly crossed the river to change their positions towards Jin and the beastmen.
But even during the shift, the barrage of mana beams continued without pause.
'Since they used multiple spells to cross the river at once, they haven't been able to fully unleash their attacks yet. However, once they're on land, they won't be able to attack all beastmen with mana beams.'
Not only that, after they do not need mana for movement, one mage would shoot beams while the other prepared significant magic spells.
Given the circumstances, Jin had no choice but to unleash the Black light call, even if it meant some of the small beastmen would die. How many innocent and kind beastmen would lose their lives?
As he wrestled with these thoughts, a subtle vibration was transmitted from the direction of the forest where the small beastmen were fleeing. It felt like a faint earthquake, as if some massive creature was running madly.
'What's happening? It seems like these vibrations are created by a giant creature running…'
In that moment of contemplation, Jin realized the source of the vibration.
"We've spotted the mages!"
"We've confirmed the presence of the 12th flagbearer!"
The vibration originated from the charge of over fifty Guardian Knights from Runcandel who were rushing at full speed. They were filled with energy, causing such a significant vibration.
Led by Jin's siblings, of course.
"Huh, my youngest brother? Were you fighting these guys alone to protect the beastmen?"
The 7th flagbearer of Runcandel and third daughter, Mary Runcandel, spoke.
"All guardian knights! Protect the 12th flagbearer and the beastmen. 4th and 5th squad, each take a group of beastmen and lead them to safety."
The 4th flagbearer of Runcandel, the second son, Diphus Runcandel, gave orders.
They had been waiting in the clan's main house until they received news of a massive mana detected in Zhan Kingdom. Upon hearing the news, they rushed here.
"They look like the most elite mages, but they don't seem to have any crest. Anyway, the youngest, you look quite impressive in this situation."
The appearance of the new Runcandel's flagbearers made the Spectres hesitate and adjust their stance.
"With this, I have repaid the debt from the mission to kill the Black Knight, Jin."
Diphus took his place beside Jin and said.
Diphus's greatsword, Volgar, and Mary's chain sword, Viper, emitted unique glows, each with its own vibrant aura.