[T.L: punisher87]
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***
Even after opening the Plutonian reign sword, Jin did not burn out immediately like before.
It is the result of Jin growing up through the enlightenment that he gained from crossing life and death several times in the Sword Emperor Castle war and the sense of Vahn that he gained through battle god fusion.
Jin defeated the 12th battle King of the Plutonian tribe in an instant, and did not even use the newly learned shadow sword ultimate technique.
However, Jin was not satisfied at all. He experienced the apex of martial arts, so it was difficult for him to feel a great sense of accomplishment, even after achieving something remarkable.
Even after the first battle of the Great Tournament of Battle Kings ended, Jin continued to wear a blank expression, as if his mind was somewhere else.
The only moments when his gaze sharpened were at the time of the other Battle kings' fights proceeded. Only then did he concentrate his mind to analyze.
Instead, after the matches were over, Jin roamed aimlessly through Laprarosa like a ghost with blank eyes.
"I'm worried that Brother Jin might really lose his mind at this rate."
Pong! Tantel uncorked a bottle of jewel liquor and sat down next to Jin.
Jin was looking up at the sky from the spire near the Hall of battle gods.
"Oh, Brother Tantel. You are here?"
"You didn't even notice that I came?"
"What did you just say?"
"Oh, never mind. What's wrong with you, explain it to me."
It was a dilemma. Also, a dilemma of abundance. Due to experiencing the sensations of the Battle God, Jin felt that his martial prowess was mediocre.
"Even though I'm full, it seems like I've overindulged."
Upon hearing the circumstances, Tantel shook his head.
"If you think about your age, brother Jin, there is a huge difference between us. However, just a few moments ago, you defeated 12th battle king of the Plutonian tribe. Although brother 12th battle king is the weakest of them all, he is clearly a battle king."
The fact that Jin defeated Teto meant that he had the qualifications to become the battle king of the Plutonian tribe.
"I know."
Jin knew better than anyone else.
However, this training was his last opportunity before the inevitable large-scale war between major factions. The stronger he became, the more anxious Jin felt.
He wondered if he could protect his companions and clan from enemies when he returned.
Just as Tantel mentioned, despite the considerable achievements and power he had gained compared to his age, the enemies were undoubtedly formidable.
If Jin can take out his brethren right away in the human world, he could change the situation in an instant. However, it was uncertain when that would happen.
"Be careful if you know, Brother Jin. Read the atmosphere a bit."
"Atmosphere?"
"Don't you feel jealousy?"
"My brethren are jealous of me?"
"Ha, why wouldn't they be?"
Jin had received all kinds of privileges in Laprarosa. Before he became a brother, he had already mastered Plutonian swordsmanship and had even received the Battle God's Blood Transfusion.
"Of course, since you have become our brethren, all the achievements that you had made are our pride. But, the other brethren are living beings too. Brother Teto trained for more than a hundred years before becoming the Battle King, and there are many brethren who worked even harder than that and never became the Battle king."
It was a problem that Jin hadn't thought of.
After being recognized as a brethren, Jin had always been loved by the Plutonians. His brethren always tried to help him, wanted to share in his achievements first, and were proud of themselves when they were summoned by the Black light call as if it was the blessing of life.
It was difficult for Jin to imagine that such brethren would be jealous now.
"... I feel sorry for them."
"Well, you don't need to feel sorry for everyone. Some brethren not only don't feel jealousy but also think it's impressive. I'm one of them."
As Tantel handed him the jewel liquor, Jin felt a warmth in his stomach.
"This Great Tournament of Battle Kings is the only opportunity for everyone to express their resentment and jealousy. Although the tournament follows the rule of no killing, all the participating brethren are really putting their lives and hearts into it."
As Jin listened to Tantel, his face grew warm, and his chest tightened.
It was embarrassing.
"So, you should pull yourself together and fight more seriously. When the Great Tournament of Battle kings is over, regardless of the results and the process, the brethren will surely cherish you as they did before... but never forget that brethren are also living beings. If even a slight resentment remains, it will eventually fester."
Jin meets Tantel's eyes.
Suddenly, Jin recalled the image of the Battle Kings who seemed to harbor a killing intent towards him after his battle with Teto.
"Thank you, Brother Tantel. Thanks to you, my mind is cleared. By the way, what is that paper?"
"Oh, this is nothing. Nothing."
Jin caught Tantel's wrist as he hurriedly tried to hide the paper. The paper contained the following content:
7th match of Great tournament of Battle Kings
Greatsword Emperor of Hell, 8th battle King, brother Garmund vs Successor of the storm, brother Jin.
Odds 1.5 : 7
Who will be the winner!
"... Gambling?"
"Well, it's just a simple pastime. Just betting with jewel liquor. It's a secret from sister battle god!"
Come to think of it, Jin had recently seen Tantel carrying around multiple bottles of jewel liquor.
Tantel had placed a bet on Jin during the 1st match.
"You don't really think sister battle god is completely unaware of it."
"Anyway, you must win, Brother Jin! I've bet all my jewel liquor. If you win this time, I won't have to worry about alcohol for the rest of my life!"
Watching Tantel disappear like he was running away, Jin chuckled.
* * *
The next day, the main hall floating in the sky was once again enveloped in blue lightning bolts.
"I will start the 7th match of the Great Tournament."
Jin and Garmund.
As the two faced each other, the lightning bolts subsided.
Jin assessed Garmund's skill to be around the level of a mid-ranking among the Battle Kings of the Plutonian.
'He might be below that level, but in any case, he's undoubtedly different from brother Teto.'
Originally, Jin couldn't win against him.
However, Garmund's physical condition was not perfect. Unlike Jin, who had rested since the battle with Teto, Garmund had engaged in intense battle with ordinary warriors who had challenged as a group this morning.
He wasn't seriously injured, but he looked a little tired.
"Did you underestimate me, Brother Garmund?"
"Think what you want. The result is already decided."
Garmund showed none of his usual carefree demeanor. Only a resolute will to overwhelm his opponent was evident.
Swish-!
As soon as Vahn backed away, Garmund's greatsword descended just inches from Jin's nose. When he blocked it, the impact felt as if his entire body would be crushed by the blade.
And Jin unwittingly used the aura to dissipate the shock to the outside, and Garmund had no choice but to narrow his eyebrows.
'It's that sense!'
A sense of battle god.
It was difficult for the previous Jin to dissipate the shock that should have led to internal injuries so easily.
The training to awaken the sense of Vahn, which had been started in earnest, was beginning to bear fruit.
Not only that, but the memory of blocking Garmund's sword in the Battle God Fusion state during the opening match also vividly came to mind.
'Brother Garmund is slow.'
Of course, in a relative sense. He possessed the brute strength to wield a greatsword like a dagger, easily exceeding the weight of several strong men, and left afterimages every time he stepped forward, but he could never be said to be agile compared to other battle kings.
Instead, Garmund compensated for his lack of speed in battles against opponents of similar level with destructive power. His method was to fill the gaps created by the absence of speed with explosive strikes and aura.
'If I can expose that weakness, I can have an advantage over brother Garmund.'
The exposure had already ended in the first exchange. It was a matter of dispersing the shock transmitted to the body outward.
Jin executed it immediately, and Garmund had no choice but to hastily respond. It was an unexpected turn of events right from the start of the battle.
'Ha! Having tasted the sensations of sister battle god, does that mean that he has already developed his physical skills to this extent? I shouldn't have accepted the challenge of ordinary warriors in the morning.'
Of course, Garmund did not openly show his confusion or panic. He skillfully pushed away Jin, who had exposed his weakness, and devised a new tactic.
'I'll execute my techniques. It will be over in one go.'
Garmund expected that Jin would unleash the Plutonian Reign sword. While dispersing shocks was working well, Jin couldn't perform anything beyond that.
Therefore, a decisive blow was needed, so a sword with such destructive power must be unleashed.
Plutonian Reign Sword, Flames of hell, or Shadow Sword Ultimate Technique.
As far as Garmund knew, those three were Jin's strongest swords.
'Flames of hell cannot exert its power without Tess, and Brother Jin wants to keep the Shadow Sword ultimate technique as a trump card.'
All that remains is the Plutonian Reign Sword.
'He must be confident. He experienced firsthand how brother Teto couldn't even use his moves properly and was defeated.'
Garmund believed that he could attack Jin's current Plutonian's Reign sword head-on and break it.
No, it wasn't a belief—it was a certainty. He was sure that his Battle King technique surpassed the power of Jin's Plutonian Reign sword.
As expected, lightning energy was gathering in Jin's illuminating heart.
'Now, when the brother Jin executes the Plutonian Reign sword, I must break it down with the battle king technique at once and cause a backflow reaction....'
Garmund seized the opportunity like that.
Garmund had been looking for that opportunity, but even as the exchange continued for over 30 minutes, the aura gathered in Jin's illuminating heart showed no signs of transforming into an overpowering force.
"Hoho, you knew my thoughts all along?"
Garmund realized it belatedly, and Jin smiled.
"There will be no brethren who cannot read the thoughts of Brother Garmund. It is always written all over your face, brother."
"Well, then there's nothing I can do. I'll make the first move from my end!"
Even if his intentions were read, it wasn't a problem. Garmund's attempt to lead the backflow was just a consideration to minimize Jin's injuries.
Swoosh-!
Garmund's energy began to gather into one point.
Even at a glance, the greatsword was surrounded by energy that was enough to defeat Jin with a single sword move.
"You can't handle this sword anyway."
But unfortunately, there was one more thing that Garmund couldn't calculate.
Garmund was about to unleash his move, but he did not realize that Jin, who had increased his speed even more, dug into his blind spot.
He didn't expect that Jin's physical skills and swift footwork, which had offset his destructive power, could become even faster there.
'He was able to move even faster than before!? Penetrating my energy...!'
He felt the tip of Sigmund's blade on the back of his neck.
"It is over, Brother Garmund."
Garmund shrugged his shoulders and dispersed the energy gathered in his greatsword.
"Damn it, I didn't expect to lose so anticlimactically."
[Ha, another battle king lost to that nasty guy? You guys weren't this weak when you pressed me!]
Lingling interjected with a word, and Vahn stopped the battle, announcing Jin's victory in a low voice.
'If Brother Garmund had thought a little more deeply, I would have definitely lost. It's good, I didn't expect to win like this again after Brother Teto...….'
The moment Jin thought that far.
A member of the Plutonian tribe who was watching screamed.
"Damn it! Everyone's just playing around. Brother 12th battle King and brother 8th battle king. Can you still say that you are the battle kings of the Great Plutonian tribe?"
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