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'What on earth is going on here?'
'Surely, this can't be real...!'
The elder council members struggled to conceal their shock and disbelief. The pale heads of the dead elders jumbled on the long table.
As if to indicate the absurdity of the situation, Jin swiped away a few necks lying before him and placed the contract in their stead.
"I brought some copies just in case. It wouldn't hurt for each of you to read it once. I'm saying this so you can understand easily, you'll have to pay this much fee if the elders want to assassinate me with the help of Ghost mercenaries-level assassins in the future."
Why was it so hard to raise their voices against this crazy 12th flagbearer? It felt as if a rock was blocking their throats, and the atmosphere in the meeting room felt oppressively heavy.
In contrast, Jin continued with a gentle smile.
"Oh, of course, it means it's just the minimum cost. If you are unlucky, you might end up like this even after paying that much."
The room fell so silent that even the sound of breathing seemed amplified.
Jin calmly assessed the elder council members' reactions, while the elders struggled to figure out where to direct their gaze.
They were undoubtedly the elder council members of Runcandel.
They had been recognized as prodigies from a young age and became cadets of Runcandel, and after becoming knights, they had survived for a long time and had various achievements. They held various positions in the Garden of the Swords, even in their old age.
However, the reason they were so stiff wasn't solely because of Jin's recent display of monstrous power.
They had already experienced overwhelming martial arts countless times in many battles. But there was undoubtedly something different about Jin.
This cannot be explained simply by stating that his martial arts are outstanding or that his audacity exceeds imagination.
It was as if they were looking at a wall they could never overcome, no matter how hard they tried or what they did.
In a way, the elder council members were watching Chiron's youth in Jin.
However, just because he looks like Chiron at first glance, it does not mean that he is the real Chiron.
Being crushed out of fear was also something that they could not tolerate as elders of Runcandel.
"Is this what you've seen? The actions I've taken were because they lost to me in our fight. If this is humiliating to you, then you must break and trample me, any way you can!"
"Have you seen such a crazy bastard! 12th flagbearer, do you know what you've done? How dare you show this nonsense!"
"It's disrespectful towards the elder council, do you even have any evidence to show that the deceased elder council members were trying to kill you? You've murdered more than ten council members, and..."
"This is a blasphemy to the elder council. What you've done is considered treason against the clan!"
As the dam holding back their emotions finally burst, the elder council members stood up with their faces twisted in anger. Their angry expressions made it seem as though they might devour Jin right then and there.
Jin's whole body tingled by the murderous intent emitted by the elders, but now Jin was beyond their power. He couldn't care less about their outrage.
"Respect, blasphemy, treason."
Pfft…
A scoff escaped his lips.
He did laugh to further enrage the elder council members. It was a natural response to the absurdity of their accusations.
He felt disgusted at the thought of sharing the name 'Runcandel' with those old and rotten people.
"Are you laughing? You have lost your mind…!"
"You rotten ghosts from a bygone era, do you truly not know the shame?"
Once again, the elder council members blinked their widened eyes.
It felt like they had been struck on the head with a hammer.
"Are you asking for respect from me? Did you tell me not to blaspheme Runcandel?"
This time, Jin's expression twisted with anger.
His eyes were filled with a formidable and intense killing intent, yet his mouth held a mocking smile. His face resembled a demon tainted by malevolence.
"You are the ones who blasphemy the shining name of struggle, Runcandel! It makes me sick to share the same name as you, who merely sit in your elderly positions and feasting on withered power."
"12th flagbearer!"
"Enough, before I put your head on this table alongside the others. You should listen carefully to what I have to say from now on."
The elder council members were ready to draw their swords at any moment, but Lynn Milcano raised her hand to restrain them.
Though she appeared to be maintaining her composure, even Lynn's hand trembled slightly.
It was a tremor born from anger and excitement.
She was one of the few who had seen Jin's majesty during his "Patriarchy declaration."
"Don't forget the essence. The reason I kill elder council members and insult you like this is because you lost to me in our fight. If that's infuriating, then crush me and trample me, in any fucking way you want!"
A battle of hegemony.
Jin accepted the fight between himself and the elders as such.
It is not a fight of flagbearer against flagbearer, but as Runcandel against Runcandel.
Once again, Jin's heavy breathing became palpable in the midst of the prevailing silence.
Jin's breathing calmed down as the bloodlust in his eyes subsided, and he returned to his usual composed self.
"Please... from now on, I hope to face you in a way that won't be shameful, Elder Council members."
With those words, Jin turned and left the meeting room without waiting for the elder council members' response.
The elders were silent as they glared at the place where Jin had disappeared, but they all shared the same feelings.
Feelings of defeat, shame, and anger swirled within them.
"Ha, after the last commotion, the Elder Council President did mention that the 12th flagbearer would have a lot to do for the clan... but this is going too far. We need a plan, and we can't let him run rampant like that forever."
"The 12th flagbearer is crazy, utterly insane! First, we need to prepare for the funerals of the deceased elder council members, and then we must inform the Elder Council President and the acting matriarch. This is a matter that requires severe punishment..."
Clack, clack!
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the corridor.
It was the black panther, Rosa Runcandel.
"Elder Council members, there's no need to convey this news to me separately. I've already heard and seen everything directly."
As Rosa entered the meeting room, the elder council members stood up and bowed their heads.
Although her expression remained neutral, the elder council members sensed a dangerous aura emanating from her.
'It's likely that she encountered the 12th flagbearer on the way here, yet the acting matriarch hasn't taken any action?'
'The acting matriarch and the 12th flagbearer couldn't possibly have formed an alliance... something doesn't feel right.'
As the elder council members contemplated, Jin had indeed encountered Rosa on her way in, but they exchanged not a word or glance, as if avoiding each other in a time of unfavorable battle, like predators.
Rosa looked down at the necks on the table with an emotionless face.
Without a hint of hesitation, she conjured an aura in her hand, as radiant as the sun, and used it to disintegrate the heads of the deceased elder council members.
Blood, bones, flesh, and brains were obliterated without a trace.
The heads evaporated neatly by the radiant heat emanated from her hands. The elder council members could only gasp in astonishment at the sight.
'Surely the acting matriarch hasn't fully recovered from her injuries yet, but what is this level of power?'
'It's like she's gained a new enlightenment. It's as if I'm looking at the patriarch's sword.'
The level of completely disintegrating an object.
What Rosa just demonstrated clearly resembled the level that Chiron had reached, yet it was undeniably different.
Rosa herself keenly felt this fact.
'I've truly gained a new enlightenment after barely surviving the strike Jin unleashed that day. But the domain you've reached is still infinitely far away, patriarch.'
After suffering severe injuries from Jin's sword, Rosa managed to break through another layer of her limitations.
Regardless of its power, Jin's sword had shocked her more than any other sword she had encountered.
Today, she was showing the results of that breakthrough to the elder council members for the first time.
"Congratulations, acting matriarch! You've reached a new level."
"This kind of hope in the midst of clan turmoil... you haven't fully recovered yet, but the strength you possess is tremendous."
Rosa's gaze turned cold as the elder council members began to offer their congratulations.
They could feel the chill in her eyes and shivered involuntarily.
"What did you hope to achieve by informing me of the 12th flagbearer's actions, Elder Council members?"
The elder council members' smiling faces froze in response to her words.
"Did you hope that I would take action against the 12th flagbearer on behalf of elder council?"
"Acting matriarch, it's just..."
"Or perhaps you wanted me to be a shield, ensuring that the 12th flagbearer would no longer harm the elder council?"
They couldn't bring themselves to answer. Their wrinkled faces turned red with embarrassment as they found it difficult to endure.
"Chief of the guardians of law, why don't you answer?"
When Rosa pointed this out, Lynn paused for a moment to catch her breath.
"The acting matriarch's words are completely correct, and this old lady is only filled with shame."
"After today..."
Rosa turned to the elder council members and spoke.
"The Elder Council will have to prove the significance and value of its existence anew. If you disappoint me once more after today, I will temporarily close theElder Council until the patriarch returns."
"No, A-acting matriarch! What are you saying?"
"Temporarily close the Elder Council? That's going too far."
The council member who spoke couldn't finish their sentence.
Swish! In an instant, a sword aura extended from Rosa's palm and cut him in half.
Fshhh...
Instead of blood, the white particles tainted with aura flowed from the cut surface, and stained the air.
When the flowing particles finally stopped, the lifeless body of the elder council member had taken on a peculiar appearance, as if it had burned.
"I believe that there won't be any more people who believe that free years give them the strength to disobey my words."
Lynn Milcano knelt on one knee, and the rest of the elder council members followed suit.
Rosa looked down at them and said, "Whether you choose to fight persistently or live like scavengers, remember that depending on your choice, I can be infinitely merciful or ruthless to both the elder council and my blood."
At Rosa's final words, the face of the elder council members turned pale.