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"The crime of insulting the patriarch must be repaid with death!"
Two elders of the Black Sword Association lunged toward Jin.
Though it had been a long time since they retired, they were once high-ranking knights. Their swords dyed with terrifying aura made a sharp pounding sound.
Their movements were just as formidable as the young guardian knights. The way their swords cut through space was precise, and the continuous strikes were difficult to predict.
However, Jin effortlessly dodged their attacks, rotating his body with ease. Not even the hem of his coat brushed against their swords. The elder members' swords only sliced through empty air.
In an instant, Jin disappeared from their sight, and the elders could feel a chilling aura as if ice had been placed on their backs.
"I dare."
The elders turned their heads sharply in response to that voice.
What they saw were straight fists and the compressed air that distorted along the direction of those fists.
Crack! Boom!
The elders managed to block the consecutive punches with great effort, but their stances crumbled. Before they could regain their balance, Jin struck them with his fists once again.
A direct hit from those fists would likely obliterate my head entirely, leaving no trace...
Simultaneously, a thought crossed both elders' minds.
There was no way to avoid it. All they could do was keep their eyes open to avoid appearing pitiful in this futile moment of their demise.
Their vision grew dark. It was because of the fists that had come to a halt right in front of them. Like statues, the elders stood frozen, unable to respond to Jin's mercy.
"Was the patriarch someone I could insult with just a few words?"
Jin turned away after retracting his fists.
"I won't stop next time. Return to your positions."
Most of the onlookers were utterly astounded.
'I heard that the 12th Flagbearer was powerful, but he subdued the two elders of the Black Sword Association..."
'He did it without even drawing his sword!'
'Was he really capable of this?'
Especially Myu and Anne, who had been the first to confront Jin, seemed to have lost their composure entirely.
'You should be thankful to me. After all, you probably wouldn't have survived, would you?' They could not deny Mary's whispering voice.
"Haah, eup!"
The Tona brothers involuntarily let out a sigh and quickly covered their mouths.
Normally, anyone would have scolded the Tona brothers for such behavior, asking do you know where you are displaying such undignified conduct.
However, no one reproached the Tona brothers. The shock of the recent incident left them speechless.
Of course, not everyone in the arena was flustered.
"Stop it and come back! Don't disgrace yourselves any further."
It was Lynn Milcano, the chief of the Guardians of Law.
She had shown irritation since the moment the elders raised their voices in response to Jin.
"And you two are no longer members of the Elder Council."
"Ch... Chief of the Guardians of law..."
"Enough. Or do you really want to end up putting your nose in a bowl of water as the 12th Flagbearer suggested?"
As Lynn's eyes sharpened, the two elders had no choice but to return to their positions without a word. They knew that uttering unnecessary words at a time like this could cost them their lives.
"12th Flagbearer."
"Yes, Chief of the Guardians of law."
Jin made eye contact with Lynn.
"It's not a good sight to see someone like a Flagbearer boasting his strength against the elders."
"If I had truly boasted my strength, this arena would have disappeared without a trace."
"You always have too much bravado."
"Wasn't what I showed a bit too modest to call it boasting?"
As he replied like that, Jin was silently reassessing his information about Lynn.
'Lynn Milcano, the Chief of the Guardians of Law, holds significant influence even over the elders of the Black Sword Association. She's someone I've been concerned about even more than uncle Jordan.'
Lynn's expression, which had become calm, made it difficult to read her thoughts.
'If possible, it would be good to make the Chief of the Guardians of law my ally.'
In order to become the patriarch later on, the support of the Elder Council was an absolute necessity.
Of course, it would be no problem if he achieved great success and eliminated opposing elders. But realistically, that was a difficult task unless he ascended to the Genesis Knight realm before Joshua did.
'For now, Chief of the Guardians of the civilians and Uncle Zed are temporary allies, but it's not enough.'
Who is Lynn Milcano, and what does she want?
As this thought briefly crossed Jin's mind, Lynn spoke again.
"Modest, you say? Well then, it wouldn't hurt to have a proper look at it."
Swoosh...
Lynn smoothly drew her sword.
"You mentioned a way to defeat Zipfel. That must mean it's related to your qualities as a magic swordsman. Am I correct?"
"Yes."
"In that case, let's see it, this display of strength."
"Are you sure you won't regret it?"
"That depends on what you show me."
"Very well, then."
Jin drew Bradamante while finishing his sentence.
"I will reinstate the status of Runcandel as the Magic Swordsmen Clan."
A heavy silence hung over the arena.
However, after the earlier humiliation of the elders, everyone held back their urge to challenge this arrogant 12th Flagbearer right away.
"...Nobody's saying anything, but I can hear a lot of noise. What you just said directly challenges the legitimacy of the great sword clan."
"Legitimacy."
Mana power enveloped Bradamante's blade.
"Among the Runcandels here, I wonder if there's anyone who can speak of legitimacy in front of me. A thousand years ago, Runcandel was originally a clan of magic swordsmen."
This fact was not known to everyone in the clan; it was a closely guarded secret.
To those who didn't understand the context, Jin's words seemed like gibberish.
"After losing to Zipfel, our clan made a humiliating pact and lost its magic..."
Fwoosh!
Then, the mana swirling around Bradamante ignited into flames.
"The glorious history has been erased, and the names and pride of the ancestors who protected Runcandel have been forgotten."
Blue flames, the power of Tess, and darkness, the shadow force of Solderet, dyed the blade. The sound of swords being drawn echoed from various places.
"I am the successor of Runcandel's magic sword, the contractor of the Sword God Solderet, and the sole descendant who honors the spirits of our ancestors. I carry on the shining will of Runcandel from a thousand years ago."
Jin's entire body was now covered in fierce flames, and his eyes glowed with fire.
Lynn could no longer maintain her composed expression and tightened her grip on her sword.
Who dared to speak of legitimacy against me?
Who is the real Runcandel?
A deep resonated voice shook the onlookers in the arena. It was the ancient Runcandel spirit that had begun to pour out from Jin.
"This fire belongs to Sarah Runcandel, the great knight of ancient Runcandel."
Runcandel's Magic Sword Secret Technique
Flame of Hell – Sarah Runcandel
Suddenly, it felt like a volcano had erupted in the middle of the arena.
The flames spreading across Jin's body, marked with runic characters, swiftly expanded from points to lines, from lines to surfaces, instantly engulfing the arena.
At that moment, the first to sense the danger among the Flagbearers was Luntia.
She, who always seemed drowsy and lethargic, moved faster than anyone else and threw herself in front of Lynn.
"Chief of the Guardians of law."
"3rd Flagbearer...!"
"I apologize for my rudeness. However, please understand that this is for the order of the Guardians of law. Guardian Knights, form a defensive formation and conduct the checkup."
Swish, swish!
Following Luntia's command, the Guardian Knights formed a Defensive Formation.
Other Flagbearers did the same. Luntia's urgent actions made everyone realize the seriousness of the situation.
Roar!
The flames of hell began to explode.
If Luntia had been a little slower to react, there would have already been casualties at this point. The guardian knights who blocked the explosions with their swords barely managed to prevent further harm.
Screams echoed from all over, but even those were drowned out by the fire. Relatively powerless individuals were already dozing off, leaving their lives in the hands of their comrades, and various parts of the arena had already erupted and lost their original form.
However, the Runcandel's Magic Sword Secret Technique was still in its beginning stage.
Amidst the blazing flames, a sharp sword energy poured down.
Jin unleashed the flame of hell as a punishment for daring to challenge the legitimacy of the Magic Swordsmen while using the name that their ancestors protected a thousand years ago, and even after death.
The sword energy filled with flames and shadow force engulfed the Runcandels.
If they blocked, their swords melted, and if they dodged, there was a wall of flames. Most of the guardian knights and elders did not have the power to break through that wall.
If this were an actual battlefield, those individuals would have turned into ashes within a dozen seconds. The reason they were not dying and holding their ground was due to the other knights who had ascended to the ranks of the superhumans.
Flagbearers, the core members of the Elder Council, as well as the enforcement knights. They relentlessly swung their swords to protect those facing death.
There was no time to be shocked by the grandeur of the ancient Magic Sword Secret Technique unleashed by the 12th Flagbearer. They were too busy pushing back the flames desperately, unable to think of anything else.
Within the scorching flames, there was an overwhelming pressure. The blue flames were suppressing the Runcandels.
Amidst the raging flames and swords, Jin cried out once more.
Who is the real Runcandel!?
To the Runcandels, his question sounded like the voice of fire itself.
Even the screams, like beasts howling in a frenzy, were drowned out, but Jin's question was clearly heard by everyone.
The flames grew denser and more intense.
In the midst of the blaze, a particularly brilliant glare belonged unmistakably to Jin. And his sword was aimed at Luntia.
He had always been curious.
Among the Flagbearers, excluding Luna, who was the strongest?
And when he extended his sword with all his might towards the strongest among them, what would be the outcome?
Roar, sizzle!
The Bradamante, covered with flames, fell onto Luntia's forehead.
When Luntia deflected the blow, the flames clustered around her scattered explosively, causing eruptions in various places.
Jin and Luntia looked into each other's eyes.
"...You always annoy me too much."
In response, Jin grinned.
"If you don't like it, you might as well behead me right now."