596
* * *
The blessing of the felinoids tribe. When Jin visited Laprarosa in the past, Jin received their protection for the first time and was able to safely pass through the land of the beastmen.
That protection was still in effect. Jin went to the land of the beastmen again with only a simple disguise, but this time, the red tiger tribe and the white wolf tribe patrolling did not inspect Jin even once.
'Or is Kinzelo's main defense network not as robust as I thought? It doesn't really matter if my entry in the Great Desert Mitra is known to the outside world, but I was wondering if Kinzelo might be a little annoying.'
It was a closed-door training on which Rosa sent Jin directly. Reporters in Runcandel were already distributing articles related to Jin's close door training.
The fact that Jin was on the final path to the throne of the sword masters has become a major theme for the newspapers.
By the time Jin arrived at the road leading to the Great Desert of Mitra after passing through the Yuka Yuka Market, Jin smiled when he unexpectedly met a familiar face.
[It's been a while, Jin Runcandel.]
A face like a cat with pure white fur and mysterious purple eyes.
It was the 'Neru' of the felinoids tribe. A person who gave Jin the protection and led him to the third tomb of Temar.
The reason Jin went unnoticed by Kinzelo in the land of beastmen was thanks to his help.
"I heard from Lulu and Miru in Wantaramo Forest that you escaped safely from the Spectres that day. The day has finally come when we can meet in person and say thank you."
[We are grateful to each other, so there's no need to make a big deal out of it. It seems you have come to the Great Desert; shall we walk together for a while?]
Neru might not know exactly about Laprarosa, but he guessed that there was an arrangement that Solderet left for Jin in the Great Desert.
After entering the Great Desert, Jin summoned Shuri.
Neru and Shuri exchanged greetings as if they were happy when they first met.
[It's a great blessing that Shuri escaped from that witch and met someone like you.]
[Mya!]
[Jin.]
"Yes, Lord Neru."
[I've come to find you because there's a problem we need to discuss together.]
The area is contaminated by chaos.
Neru talked about it for a while.
Glyek's chaos permeated not only human society, but also the world of small beastmen.
[We, the felinoids tribe, are trying to participate in the cleanup of the contaminated area, at least to protect the small beastmen. And among humans, the only people we can trust are you and Hister's survivors.]
According to Neru's explanation, the felinoids were able to deal with the chaos in the contaminated area through their unique barrier ability.
However, their power is weak due to the absence of the current and previous cat gods, so they wanted to strengthen their abilities by finding their 'forgotten temple' through Valeria's record magic.
Jin readily accepted Neru's offer and took out a pen and paper.
"Go to Tikan and show them this letter. Perhaps Valeria will not refuse."
[Yes, Lulu and Miru express that she was born with a destiny for the world, just like you.]
"It's an exaggeration that makes my face heat up every time I hear it."
Thanks to the events in Wantaramo Forest, Valeria had a favorable attitude towards the felinoids tribe including Lulu and Miru.
[If we can borrow the power of our gods thanks to her, I won't use it just for the sake of small beastmen.]
Afterwards, Neru rode Shuri and escorted Jin to near the entrance of Laprarosa.
[I'll leave now.]
"It was really nice to meet you, please say hello to Miru and Lulu."
As always, when Neru left, Tantel, a member of the Plutonian tribe, greeted Jin.
"Brother Jin! Oh, and Shuri! It's been a long time!"
[Mya, mya!]
"Brother Tantel. How are you?"
"There's nothing more for us to do than wait for you, right? Oh, there's also some concern. In case you die outside, we won't even hear the news. If you were strong enough, there wouldn't be any need to worry, brother."
Jin chuckled.
Tantel recognized at once that Jin had become stronger, but Jin was not yet a transcendent warrior by the standards of the Plutonian tribe.
The Plutonian tribe is the only group in the world that could treat Jin as a 'promising warrior'.
"So, this time I plan to stay and train for a while."
"That's a good idea!"
As Tantel's sword cut through the air, the portal to Laprarosa opened.
Buildings decorated with all kinds of jewels on the golden road, and the illuminating hearts of the dead brethren hung in front of the gates of every house.
This dazzling dead world was now Jin's second home. The thought that he might be able to bring this scenery out into the world made his heart flutter.
Passing through the Golden Road, neat stone paths, and a giant monument honoring deceased Plutonians, they arrived at the Hall of battle gods.
Before opening the main gate, Jin touched the hearts of the warriors of the Plutonian tribe a few times embedded in the outer wall of the Hall of the battle gods.
Kugug...…!
Boom-! Boom!
At the same time as the gate opened, the Plutonian brethren who had been waiting in advance fired a salute.
"Brother Jin!"
"Shuri!"
Jin couldn't help but smile at the boisterous welcome from his brethren.
Excluding Tantel, 63 ordinary warriors, as well as 12 battle kings and battle god, were waiting for Jin beyond the gate.
Jin first shows the courtesy to Vahn.
Vahn still exuded immeasurable dignity, but Jin noticed that she had become somewhat gaunt compared to when they last met.
'Is it the effect of the blood given to me during the last training….'
Every time Jin transfused with Vahn's blood, it was like passing on true energy to Jin. Just as Ron handed over his true energy to Dante at the last minute.
"I have a lot to tell you, sister Vahn."
As soon as Shuri saw Vahn, she made a purring sound and snuggled into her arms. Although it didn't look very graceful due to the significant size difference, Shuri had missed Vahn's touch immensely since their last meeting.
Shuri had a tendency to enjoy the touch of transcendent beings like Tess and Vahn.
"I suppose so. Since you'll be here for a while, we can take it easy today and have a drink while catching up."
"Oh, sister battle god. How did you know that Brother Jin would stay for a long time? I was the only one who heard it, so I tried to surprise the brethren."
"Because he has to, Brother Tantel. Brother Jin is in a state where he has already accepted the day he will die."
At Vahn's answer, the eyes of the other members of the Plutonian tribe widened as if they would pop out.
"Huh! Sister battle god, what do you mean by that!"
"Brother Jin is dying...!"
"Brother Jin, earlier you just said you would stay for training, is there actually something wrong with your body?"
It wasn't just the Plutonian tribe that was surprised.
'I thought sister Vahn would recognize at once that there was chaos in my body, but... A time limit?'
Jin did not feel that his condition was exactly the same as that of Rosa, Kelliark, and others who were tainted by chaos.
Jin felt that the demon heart was putting pressure on his inner self, but it was nothing compared to what he experienced in Glyek's subspace.
Of course, it could become more severe in the future, which was why he sought Laprarosa. Using the fact that battle god's blood resisted chaos as a clue.
Jin was worried but he didn't expect it to be this much.
If only Vahn had a chance to compare Rosa, Kelliark, and Jin. Without thinking, she would have judged that Jin was in the most serious condition.
"One month at the shortest, two months at the longest. If brother Jin had not come to Laprarosa, he would have become a monster and died."
"... Was I in such a serious condition?"
Heavenly luck.
It was really lucky that Jin found Laprarosa at this point without knowing his own condition.
If the search for Qwaul was even a bit delayed or if Rosa changed her mind and interfered with Jin leaving for the closed-door training, it would have taken at least a month for the external affairs to be settled.
The other Plutonian brethren also realized what was wrong with Jin. Beliz, 7th battle king, grabbed Jin's wrist and looked frightened.
"Ah, these are traces of chaos!"
"A trace of chaos? Aren't we immune to chaos?"
"Brother Jin is different from us, brother 12th battle king."
"That's true, but since he was transfused with the blood of the sister battle god and even has an illuminating heart, he must be immune!?"
"The shape of the stigma... this is the trace left by the first chaos!"
"Damn it, that's right, we are not immune to that! The first chaos all of a sudden? Is it still in the outside world?"
"What the hell did you go through out there!? Have you met the witch? Huh?"
The Plutonians screamed frantically with serious expressions.
The king of chaos and the witch Helluram existed even in the era of the Plutonian tribe. At that time, Helluram had no name and was just called the witch.
"Calm down, brethren."
As Vahn quietly raised her hand, the Plutonians lowered their heads and closed their mouths.
"Such things only make Brother Jin more anxious. It's not too late, so we just have to prepare and start purification."
It's a calm voice, as if it's not such a big deal.
But Jin couldn't feel reassured even after seeing Vahn's attitude. It was because all the other brethren, who surely knew the method of 'purification', were constantly showing signs of worry.
Fortunately, the reason they were worried about Jin was not death.
"Shit... Let's cheer up, Brother Jin."
"It's painful, but what can we do? Just like you always did, you have to endure it well...."
"We'll help with anything, okay?"
"Yes, yes. No matter what state or appearance you're in, we'll always consider you a brother."
"Even if you forget us, we don't forget you, Brother Jin. Yes, no way."
Jin had already endured the extreme training of the Plutonian tribe twice.
Even so, the Plutonians were convinced that it would be difficult for Jin to endure, so even Jin couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
"What? What do you mean by any state or appearance? Moreover, that I might forget you?"
"Hey, enjoy today. It might be difficult to have a good time for a while."
Instead of answering Jin's question, the Plutonians lifted him up and walked to the banquet hall.
Vahn laughed at Jin who kept asking questions with a bewildered expression and the brethren who comforted him.
Naturally, Vahn was also concerned about Jin. However, she believed that Jin would be able to handle it this time as well.
597
"Hahahaha!"
"For Brother Jin!"
"For you!"
Just an hour ago, the Plutonian tribe, who had been talking as if the Jin would die immediately, continued to drink excitedly.
Other than that, they were exaggerating the excitement in consideration of Jin's feelings, but Jin was anxious and curious, so he didn't know where the alcohol was going.
"Brother Jin."
It was the first time Vahn opened her mouth after the banquet started.
"Whoa, now you decide to speak. Sister Vahn. Please give me a chance to speak."
As Jin spoke with a slightly hurt tone, Vahn smiled.
Should I say it's like looking at an adorable little brother? Even though she was worried about him, she was welcoming the lively atmosphere of Laprarosa, which had come after a long time.
Like all the other brethren.
Jin wasn't really upset either.
"I needed some time to organize my thoughts. How to purify your chaos, brother."
The noisy voices came to a halt. All the members of the Plutonian tribe put down their glasses and fixed their gazes on Jin and Vahn.
Jin recalled what his brethren had said.
The Plutonian tribe is basically immune to chaos, but that doesn't apply on 'first chaos'.
"Looks like I'm not the first brethren tainted by the chaos. I don't know what the term 'First Chaos' means."
"I'm talking about the chaos that originated from the witch. Did you say that she is now called by the name Helluram?"
"Yes, Joshua Runcandel, whom the summoned brother Garmund faced once. Since leaving Laprarosa last time, I have discovered a clue that the Prophet behind him may be Helluram. I found a recording device belonging to Helluram by killing the demon in his villa."
"First, tell me what you've been through. I'll explain it to you after I've heard it all."
"It will take an entire night to talk about everything."
The brethren's eyes were shining brightly. The brethren do not know a single thing about everything that Jin has experienced since leaving Laprarosa last time.
Becoming the flagbearer of the clan, finding the tombs of Temar, acquire the legacy left by the ancient Runcandel, meeting Valeria, uncovering the truth of the fairies, gaining influence, causing Joshua's downfall, confronting the king of chaos, obtaining the artifacts left by Lokia and more—all within just two years. Jin had experienced adventures far beyond the expectations of his brethren.
Jin's story didn't end until noon the next day.
"Wow... It's almost like hearing a legend or a myth."
"That's right. The sister 4th battle king and the brother Shaku directly participate in the life story of the brother Jin, right?"
"This Garmund has been summoned before!"
"Damn it, I envy you! I wanted to be chosen, too!"
"That... I, brother 8th battle king, and brother Shaku don't remember anything at all. Don't be so envious...…."
"You should fix that expression that says you're going to die of pride, before saying something like that, sister 4th battle king."
Jin smiled when he saw the reaction of his brethren, who are called the true legendary fighting race.
"By the way, the name of the Demon that the sister 4th battle king said we encountered. Didn't you say Orgal, the Demon Beast King?"
"If sister Linpa warned brother Jin that he was a dangerous guy, we should remember... but it's the first time I've heard that name."
"In those days, there weren't that many impressive demons we would remember."
"The strongest one was the guy who was associated with the witch, wasn't it?"
"Then, that person is probably Orgal, the Demon Beast King, brethren. The reason you all don't remember him is because Zipfel manipulated history."
"Hmph, I can't believe that humans manipulate history. It's not just about writing history according to the taste of the conqueror, but manipulating it as if it were just correcting the text...…."
"If you listen to Brother Jin's words, even though the fighting power of those Zipfel is insignificant, their authority has already reached the realm of the gods. He said Zipfel even reproduced the Orb of Origin."
"The role of that human record mage seems crucial. The outside world is in a state where even the truth that someone clearly knew can be modified at any time."
The Plutonian tribe knew exactly what was the Orb of Origin.
It was the power of the gods that brought about their destruction.
On the other hand, they were almost oblivious to Zipfel's manipulation of history.
This was because there was no overlap between the activities of the Plutonian tribe and Zipfel.
Plutonian had exchanged some information with Temar, who came as a successor a thousand years ago, and they had heard stories about Zipfel from him.
However, it was limited, and the last appearance of Temar that Vahn remembered was not very intact.
"Brethren, I forgot one really important thing. Come on, focus."
Like the cats looking at a moving toy, the Plutonians turned their heads at once.
"The spatial-time device that I mentioned earlier. I believe that item could be the key to bringing you guys back to the outside world."
Clang! At those words, several members of the Plutonian tribe dropped their drinking glasses on the floor. There were also those who hiccuped in surprise, and even Vahn's eyes widened.
"I have already recruited an engineer, who is probably the greatest genius in history, and the record mage who will restore the records of the spatial-time device. And I will free you through their abilities, by all means."
At first, until Jin came to Laprarosa as the successor of the shadow sword. The Plutonian tribe had never expected the day to come when they could escape this dead world.
That's why, during Jin's first training, they consciously avoided talking about the outside world.
Speaking of the land they could never return to would only make the punishment even heavier.
However, some members of the Plutonian tribe continued to dream of going outside.
One of them was battle god Vahn, and that was why she transfused her blood to Jin. She thought that her brethren could be saved through Jin.
Now not only Vahn, but everyone believed so. Right now, Jin declared that he will do so.
"The outside world... just hearing about it sounds fantastic."
"Kahaha, the era of our Plutonian tribe is coming again!"
"Brother Jin's enemies are our enemies! The moment we are released, they will be doomed!"
"The problem is."
Jin rolled up his sleeves, revealing the dark spot of chaos on his wrist.
Then, the faces of Plutonians, who were so excited, suddenly became pensive.
"This."
"First chaos. Wow, I almost forgot...…."
"You scared me so much and then you forgot?"
"If something goes wrong with brother Jin, wouldn't the spatial-time device and everything mean nothing?"
"If something wrong happened to me, the rest of my comrades will continue to work to free the brethren, but I'd rather be there. I am the only one who can directly enter Laprarosa in the first place."
Jin met Vahn's eyes.
"Sister Vahn. Unlike other brethren who say that I must die or change strangely, it seems you think purification is possible enough."
Vahn nodded.
"Brethren, fortunately, the chaos that engulfed Brother Jin was not purely left by the witch alone. It has a similar form, but according to Brother Jin's explanation...… Fragments of the Orb of origin and the power of the gods were mixed, so it can't be called the perfect first chaos."
"Oh oh. Are you saying it was just a little bit of the first chaos mixed in?"
"Yes. It is a power that should not exist in the world, but if it remained, it would have been a very small amount."
"Then, during the purification process, the chances of Brother Jin going crazy or losing his intelligence and becoming creatures will be low. If you're unlucky, you might become a bug."
"It could change gender or become hermaphrodite."
All of them were horrific just to hear. Only then did Jin know why the brothers were like, what they looked like, and why they talked about it.
'There seems to be other types of demonic transformation besides becoming a monster.'
The mistakes of the gods, the chaos caused by the Orb of Origin, only destroy the ego of the encroaching target and turn him into a monster.
As the name suggests, Helluram's 'First Chaos' had the uncanny power that completely messed up the essence of the target.
It was unknown until the results came out whether the target would be turned into a monster or a small creature.
And the chaos that engulfed Jin was, as Vahn put it, a mixture of the chaos of Gods and Helluram.
"The white stone that sealed the fragment of the Orb of Origin. The witch probably had it before it belonged to the Hairan clan. At that time, Glyek must have had the first chaos of the witch."
If the chaos encroaching on Jin was solely Glyek's own, Vahn would not have worried about him.
Even though Jin is a human, it was because he had an illuminating heart and blood of battle god.
As long as he continued to train them, Jin could eventually become immune to chaos like his other siblings. From all kinds of chaos except the first chaos.
'Then, Mother and Kelliark. And others were infected with chaos at the time...!'
As Jin was about to come up with such an idea, Vahn continued her explanation.
"Brother Jin. I think, in the battle with Glyek, only the brother was infected with the first chaos. If an ordinary human being who hasn't my blood like brother Jin, was engulfed in the first chaos, the result should have already come out."
Helluram's chaos made it impossible for even the Plutonians to resist.
"It's fortunate that I heard it, but I don't know why I was the only one exposed to the witch's chaos."
"It must be because the witch hates Solderet. Because Solderet himself completely sealed the witch's first chaos. Brother Jin, you were infected with the first chaos left by the witch before being sealed. The fact that the brother arrived safely in Laprarosa means that fortunately, the chaos of the witch which affected you is much weaker than we remember."
It was an unexpected story for Jin. Of course, it was recognized only as the chaos of Glyek.
"... After all, the means of purification certainly exist. It would be nice to start as soon as possible."
"I need some time to prepare. In the meantime, the other brethren will confirm the achievements Brother Jin made outside."
598
When Vahn's gave an order, the Plutonians began to clear the banquet hall in perfect order.
Just as Jin was about to organize the table, 5th Battle King Boras approached him.
"Haha, Brother Jin, stay still. Let's hang out together."
"Brother Boras."
"As you may have already felt, sister Vahn firmly believes that Brother Jin will overcome the first chaos. The faith of the great Plutonian tribe has never gone astray...… No, it got wrong a couple of times. Hmmmm."
"Oh, really."
"Anyway, don't worry too much. I will make a very nice Chaos Extraction Aid for you."
That's why Vahn said she needed some preparation before starting the chaos cleanse.
Boras, the greatest blacksmith in the history of the Plutonians and the 5th Battle King. It was because he had to make something to help Vahn.
"Chaos Extraction Aid?"
"It's a device to assist the sister battle god in extracting chaos from you more easily. It also increases stability."
"Is the sister battle god capable of extracting the chaos of others? Even if that is the first chaos?"
"Yes, she is."
Boras' eyes were filled with sadness. He was thinking of the brethren who were stained with the first chaos before perishing.
"Of course... Will there be any side effects? Like the brethren said earlier, like becoming a bug."
"That's right. We also expected the side effects when injecting sister battle God's blood. But the result was perfect. Brother Jin, you are a man who is good at tests and trials, so you will do well this time too."
Jin decided not to ask for more details.
In fact, it was because there was no choice. The moment Jin refused purification out of fear of side effects, the only future left for Jin was death or a more disastrous outcome.
'I need to find out more, so it only bothers me. If I am going to attempt purification anyway, I have to trust my brethren and follow them. And anyway, if the sister battle god has a way, when they can get out...… Other people will be able to be cured too.'
It is unknown when the Plutonian tribe can be taken out in the human world. In addition, there were serious side effects, so it might not be of much help to other infected people in the human world.
'I hope I can find a way to reduce the side effects through my chaos purification.'
The banquet hall was finished.
Except for Vahn and Boras, the rest of the Plutonians and Jin moved to the training ground.
They drank all night, but it didn't matter at all in the training ground.
"Let's decide who will compete first with Brother Jin, using rock-paper-scissors."
"Rock-paper-scissors, it is not fair!"
At the words of ordinary warriors including Shaku, Baltirok shook his head.
"Brethren, this time only the battle king brethren like me will check Brother Jin's skills."
"Are you going to do this in a disrespectful way, the battle king brethren?"
"Sister battle god told us to check Brother Jin's skills, not training through sparring with him. Therefore, this sparring is an inspection process for purification."
"Ugh, something is unfair."
"If it's unfair, the other brethren also fight. Kyahaha. If you check Brother Jin with the skills of ordinary warriors, only useless accidents can happen."
'Teto,' The 12th battle king said, sticking out his tongue as if making fun of ordinary warriors.
Seeing that, 2nd battle King 'Lumora' struck Teto in the back of the head.
Bam-!
There was a sound like a piece of metal cracked.
"How many times do I have to tell you to speak nicely, brother 12th battle king? Then you get hated by our brethren."
"Ugh! I just told the truth. And I have no brethren who hate me. Everyone knows that I just talk without thinking anything."
"Anyway, brethren. It's not that the brother 12th battle king was wrong. The ordinary warrior brethren will just watch, and the battle kings will take turns examining the skills of the brother Jin."
Lumora pushed Teto on the back.
"Starting with the brother 12th battle king. The rest of the battle king brethren gather here, let's play rock-paper-scissors."
"Kekeke, of course! Even if you beat me often, you think of me because you're the best."
Teto gently rotated his spear and moved his steps toward the center of the training ground. He was the one who used spearmanship among the Plutonian tribe.
During the first and second training sessions, Jin did not face Teto many times.
However, one thing was clear.
"I'll tell you in advance, I'm the weakest among the battle king brethren."
Jin lets out a laugh. It was the reason Lumora put Teto in the first place.
"I know, Brother Teto. I heard that you became a battle king with pull-ups."
"Even so, Brother Jin will not be able to come to his senses from my flashy spearmanship."
Shaak-!
As soon as he finished his words, Teto stretched out his spear.
The blow, which was clearly aimed at the neck, could have led to death or fatal wounds if Jin was not careful enough to avoid it.
Brethren never cripple or threaten each other's life. Teto's attack violated that principle, but none of his brothers pointed it out.
Everyone was convinced that there was no way Jin would fall for Teto's surprise attack. Even though it wasn't a regular warrior, it was a surprise attack by 'The Battle King'.
"Kyakyakya! As expected, you've become stronger, Brother Jin!"
"You'd better be more serious, Brother Teto."
Jin replied in a cold tone, but he seemed to be excited about the fact that he had finally been recognized.
The only person who can engage in sparring with the Battle king in this way is only the battle kings and the battle god.
'Even during the last training, the battle king brethren were just playing with me like children. It's completely different now...….'
Fuzz!
Sigmund's thunderbolt flashed. After the first battle started quickly and lightly, the entire training ground was stained with the lightning of the two before even five moves had passed.
Since the audience is the strongest fighting race in history, the shock wave was no problem.
The thunderbolts of battle kings and the ordinary warriors formed a thick protective shield over the entire training ground.
Of course, as long as it's not really violating the rules of sibling rivalry. The two cannot use their own skills such as their decisive killing moves and secret moves.
It would be possible if either side had more overwhelming skills, but the difference between Teto and Jin was not that much.
Therefore, the two had to fight using only the level of energy that would not kill each other.
Naturally, it was inevitable that it would be a battle of technique against technique, not power against power.
"I can't use my lightning bolts properly, so I'll lose if I'm squeamish."
"It's over if the brother Jin takes the distance once."
"It seems almost impossible to get that distance."
As he said, Jin couldn't close the distance with Teto. As the battle lengthened, the range of pressure from Teto's spear increased, and Jin's area narrowed.
'I expected that the difference would be less than this if we fought with pure weapon skills at a similar level of usable power.'
It wasn't.
The spear of Teto, who described himself as the weakest, was difficult to come to his senses as he first predicted.
"Kekeke, this time to the left! Actually right!"
The scars increased.
"Left, right, left! left! Strong, medium and weak! oh, good block. But you couldn't avoid the thighs, right? Oh, it's too bad. Brother Jin, you have a cut on your thigh and then on your right cheek!"
Teto's nasty expression and way of speaking made it seem like the heat was spreading.
It is not an illusion.
Jin actually felt like his anger was about to explode all of a sudden. And each time his anger deepened like a snowball, Jin's eyes were opened and body became lighter.
Cagan!
The sword and spear stuck close due the attraction of the Plutonian sword Oppression, which the two men simultaneously opened.
Teto deliberately used oppression together to further weaken Jin while keeping their weapons attached.
With the weapons tied this way, both would be forced to exchange punches with their free arm.
"Brother Jin is a little weak in hand-to-hand combat, right? So right after we became real brothers, you challenged the brother Shaku to hand-to-hand combat and ended up getting a lot of kicks. And I, of course, have bigger fists than brother Shaku!"
Puck, puck!
Teto pulled the spear stick and slammed his fist into Jin's chin. Jin also punched out for a counterattack, but there was a gap in Jin's and Teto's physical strength.
It was the part that the brothers found strange.
'Why doesn't he use Multa's runes? Brother Jin isn't a person who passes the victory so easily.'
'The unique demonic nature is not revealed. Doesn't it look like he was beaten almost aimlessly?'
Anger.
After the sparring with Teto started, demonicization suddenly began to progress. Jin was unable to focus on the battle because he was resisting that very thing.
To be precise, he wasn't paying attention at all. Jin had already lost his reason.
All of the battle kings except for Teto recognized this fact.
"It seems unreasonable to check Brother Jin's skills any longer. I'd like to stop it for now."
As Beliz was about to step out, Baltirok grabbed her by the shoulder.
"No, let's watch a little longer. Sister 7th battle king."
"The lightning bolts that form Brother Jin's oppression are rapidly fading, Brother 1st battle king. The 12th battle king brother is not aware of Brother Jin's condition, so he is careless. If Brother Jin lifts the oppression, Sigmund will stab Brother Teto in the chest."
"Still, I want to trust Brother Jin. Sister battle god must have foreseen this situation...…."
Baltirok, who had been talking until there, threw himself hastily.
It was the same with the other Battle kings. What Beliz feared happened.
In the end, Jin's oppression was released, and Sigmund was flying into Teto's chest with the lightning bolts that exceeded the law of brethren duel.
No matter how fast the battle kings were, the speed was unstoppable. In the first place, the distance between Jin and Teto was only one step.
"Hup!"
The reason Teto was unaware of Jin's condition unlike the other battle kings was because he was so focused.
Also, as his brother, he had faith in Jin. Teto only spoke meanly as he expressed himself, but he loved and trusted his brethren more than anyone else.
Teto was confident that no matter what happened during the sparring, Jin would never stab him.
"Ho, ho, Whoo...…!"
Fortunately.
The brethren rushed forward, confirming that Jin's sword stopped right before stabbing Teto in the chest.
Jin barely regained his senses and gasped for breath, and the battle king brethren who rushed in also sighed in relief and wiped their hearts.
Limp!
Jin, who reflexively threw away his sword, was sweating as if it were raining.
And while his brethren surrounded him and hugged him and gave words of comfort, Jin was thinking about one thing.
Teto's spear, which had been burdensome, was clearly visible the moment when demonicization began.
599
'It was a similar feeling to when I dealt with Sir Ron, who fell into demonicization....'
Jin had a similar experience in the abyss of Glyek. At that time, Jin felt his powers growing as chaos and shadow force mixed together.
That power seemed to disappear after the fight with Ron, who had fallen into demonicization, but it remained as a stain in the form of encroachment and harassing Jin.
Jin's heart was thumping as if it was about to explode.
He couldn't hear the voices of his brethren surrounding him and Teto. Jin's head buzzed as if he were submerged in water, and in the meantime, the strangely sharpened senses formed an unwanted fighting spirit.
Jin just almost mortally wounded his brother, but he wants to keep fighting.
It was not easy for him to suppress that feeling, as if he had been on a strong drug. Jin might not have been able to stop his sword if the person in front of him was stranger rather than brother.
Since the end of the sword emperor battle, Jin has never fought an opponent strong enough to awaken his demonic nature. He didn't even warm up from the battle with Qwaul, so he just didn't go through the same condition now.
Good and evil, righteousness and apostle, light and darkness.
Such conflicting desires were causing wild ripples inside Jin.
Jin thought he had managed to keep it under control, but his demonic energy continued to wriggle like a ferocious snake.
'If I use this power, I can enter the transcendental state at once....'
As a martial artist, there can be no sweeter thing than that.
It just seemed that if he decided to 'do so' just once, his body would be filled with immeasurable power like the great sea.
It was to the point where he felt that someone had blessed him. It seemed that even the uncontrollable nature unique to demonicization would disappear if he fully accepted its power.
'Why should I reject it?'
When the stream of consciousness reached that point, Jin's demonicization was further amplified.
The brothers' voices were no longer heard as if they had been crushed. Even the figures of the brethren were seen as black shapes.
To the point where Jin regretted throwing away the sword.
The brethren, who began to appear as black figures, began to feel menacing. Jin felt like he had to protect himself from those evil spirits right now.
"Ahhh...!"
Jin screamed and shook off one of his brothers' outstretched hands. It was Beliz's hand.
Since Jin shook it with all his might, Beliz's hand would have been cut off or pulled out if it had not been for the Battle King of the Plutonian tribe. Beliz was unfazed and grabbed Jin again.
Beliz's physical strength is among the top ranks of battle kings. Even so, she had to do everything in her power to hold Jin's arm.
"Hold on to Brother Jin!"
The rest of the battle kings were also participating in the suppression. The reason why they were able to steadfastly subdue Jin despite being hit with fists and kicks with monstrous power was because they were the battle kings of the Plutonian.
"Brother, wake up!"
The suppression led to a very rough situation. It was a situation where they had no choice but to break his limbs and to hold him down so hard that his body was crushed.
Jin vomited blood and screamed, but recovered in an instant. He even went so far as to grow stronger with each recovery.
As the harsh suppression continued, some of the ordinary brethren seemed to close their eyes tightly as if they could not bear to see it. It was because it was difficult for them to bear having his brother's body broken by other brothers.
Jin had no choice but to stop himself. The suppression of the battle kings was limited. Because they don't know how long Jin's body will last.
"Brother Jin!"
"Cheuk, kuh...!"
Soon, Jin coughed up black blood and stopped the rampage. At the last moment when the demonicization was going to the extreme, the blood of Battle God was once again holding on to Jin.
Even after that, the battle kings could not loosen their hands holding Jin for a while. Everyone felt like they were carrying a bomb that was about to explode.
"Are you okay?"
Jin lay face down and looked up at his brethren's worried faces. At that time, the brethren let out a sigh of relief, but Jin felt that his heart was breaking at his apologetic heart.
"Brethren...."
"Kekeke, Brother Jin. Don't feel guilty!"
As the brethren chose their words, Teto was the first to shout.
"It is poison. What's inside, brother Jin? Mind? Anyway, things aren't very good right now, so if you're wrapped up in guilt, you're probably going to be weaker, right? Then, naturally, the will to push back the encroachment of chaos will weaken. So, we have to get rid of those feelings even for efficiency reasons."
"Oh, why is brother 12th battle king talking about something plausible? Will the brother 2nd battle King's hardships finally shine?"
"Brother Twelve battle King is right. You need to get some peace of mind, Brother Jin."
Jin made eye contact with his brethren for a few seconds before nodding his head.
Instead of guilt, he chose to be grateful. He almost killed his brother, and it was no different that he could have such a heart so easily even if it was a nuisance.
Brethren do not count silver.
It was because Jin was also a person who followed the order of the Plutonian. If the target he almost harmed was another companion, it would not have been easy for Jin to take it lightly.
"Huh, thank you. Brethren."
"Here, drink a glass of cold water."
"Okay, let's think plainly, plainly. If it were us, we would handle Brother Jin like this, what would have happened if it was the human world?"
"I don't know how many times my limbs were broken."
"Well, you were cut dozens of times when you first came. In a way, it's better than then."
Instead of becoming serious, Jin and the Plutonian led the atmosphere lightly. Then, Jin felt the remnants of the demonisation quickly sinking.
It's not the first time that a Plutonian is experiencing a case like Jin.They knew exactly that the mental part had the biggest impact on demonicization.
"Brother Jin."
"Yes, Brother 1st battle king."
"My brother, you are doing rehabilitation training right now, so to speak. Then he fell once, and he may fall again and again in the future."
Baltirok put a hand on Jin's shoulder.
"Every time the brother has to do something, just like now, just quickly brush up and get up. You shouldn't be concerned about why you fell or whether you hurt anyone by falling."
"And our job is to keep reaching out and lifting our brother up whenever he falls."
"It's amazing, Brother Teto keeps saying the right things...?"
Jin nodded. It was such a good thing to have warm and reliable brethren and a hometown.
"So... grab your sword again and take your stance."
It was just a few minutes ago that he almost stabbed Teto. The brethren seemed completely oblivious to that fact.
"You mean right now?"
"You shouldn't be afraid of going crazy again. Sister battle god must have foreseen this situation, and nonetheless told us to check your skills and condition."
"That means that the sister battle god believes in the brother Jin just like the other brethren, and it probably means that nothing will happen if you continue to run wild...…?"
"Maybe?"
It is true that Jin loves and trusts his brethren so much, but he was sometimes embarrassed by such insensitive behavior of the Plutonian.
"Brother Tantel! Brother, hurry up and ask sister battle god. Now that the situation is like this, can we continue?"
At Garmund's words, Tantel left the training ground. Tantel quickly returned and nodded his head.
"Go ahead!"
"So it is. Come to think of it, we made a little fuss. Sister battle god told us to do it."
"That's right. The sister battle god told us to do it, so everything will be fine, right?"
"Well, everyone is saying it as if they are not sure. Are you really okay?"
"Who was next? The one who won rock paper scissors earlier? Oh, it was me!"
"Brother Garmund, why are you lying? The brother 12th battle king was followed by brother 2nd battle king. Next came the brother Baltirock, and the rest... Damn, what was the order?"
"You can't even remember everything anyway, invalidate it and decide again with rock-paper-scissors."
"Are you not going to let us in? The battle King brethren."
"Oh, even after seeing the situation! The ordinary warrior brothers should keep watching until Brother Jin's chaos is purified. Instead, let's watch the audience a little closer. If the brother Jin goes wild again, we all have to quickly subdue him together."
There was no time to refuse. Jin held Sigmund again and continued to fight.
* * *
The sparring continued for four days after that.
During that period, Jin continued to fight with the battle kings except for sleeping (they even slept together at the training ground to prepare for a losing control rampage).
And he went through over 20 rampages.
When Jin fell into the most severe outrage, he rioted to the point of destroying the training ground in half, and when he fell the weakest, he ended up getting hit on the chin twice.
'I have no energy in my body....'
He had been fighting so intensely that even the chaos seemed to drain its energy. He was in a state where he didn't even have the strength to run wild.
Demonicization was not really over.
Just as Dante opened the door due to Glyek's temptation, there was always a door in Jin's heart that could be opened.
A door of temptation that convinces you that you can become comfortable and strong if you just open it.
The battle kings also showed signs of being a little tired. It wasn't just sparring, but whenever Jin ran out of control, they held onto Jin, so they had no choice but to be exhausted.
'If I haven't heard from Dante about the temptation of chaos... And if I hadn't suffered the tragedy of the Sword Emperor Castle. I might have opened that by now.'
Jin trembled and a grinding noise came from the teeth that collided. Jin stretched out his trembling hand and gripped the sword again.
"Who... is next?"
The battle kings coughed and avoided Jin's gaze. The battle kings, who had made such a fuss saying that they would fight first, were now subtly handing over their turn to each other. The ordinary warriors urged the battle kings to come forward one by one, as if they were chanting spells.
In the end just as Teto, the youngest battle king, was about to raise his battered body, a voice of salvation was heard from the other side of the training ground.
"The Chaos Extraction Aid is complete, brethren!"
It was the voice of 5th battle King Boras. What happened while making the replacement extraction aid, so that his whole body was also tanned.
The battle kings tried to honor Boras, hoping that they would finally be able to rest, but they corrected their posture when they saw the strong eyes of the battle god Vahn standing next to him.
And half said a word like this.
"Keep doing what you're doing, brethren."
600
"Gye, what are you saying, sister battle god?"
"That, Brother 5th battle king has completed the machine…."
Vahn didn't answer right away, but stayed still for a few seconds. Seeing her fluttering hair like fire, and calm and deep eyes, the battle kings had no choice but to rise from their seats.
All the Plutonian quickly lined up and bowed their heads.
There is no hierarchy between battle kings and ordinary warriors, but Battle god Vahn is truly the absolute leader of the Plutonian tribe.
Jin watched them and took his place among ordinary warriors.
Then, Tantel and Shaku pushed Jin one position ahead, to the seat of the Battle kings.
'Brother stands in the front!'
'I'm not a battle king, right?'
'Hurry up.'
And the same thing happened after standing side by side with the battle kings.
'Brother stands next to sister battle god!'
'Beside sister battle god? Is that okay?'
'Brother Jin, you succeeded Sigmund, you are the only successor of the sister battle god. You are ranked higher than us.'
Reluctantly, Jin stood next to Vahn. She then opened her mouth as if the line was properly set up.
"You are getting complacent, brethren."
"Sister battle god, we showed an ugly side. Please teach us."
"Everyone seems to have forgotten."
Vahn pointing to Jin.
"Here, Brother Jin said he would take us out on the first day of visiting Laprarosa this time. Then, what do my brethren and I need to prepare?"
"It is to become the strength of Brother Jin."
"Yes."
Swoosh...…!
Suddenly, the entire training ground resonated with Vahn's energy and began to vibrate. The battle kings felt that their vision was getting dark for an instant, and the ordinary warriors gritted their teeth not to collapse.
Jin was not affected by her energy. It was because Vahn did not spread her energy in his direction.
"Our golden age is over, and our glorious era also came to an end 5000 years ago."
Vahn's energy grew larger and larger as she spoke her words. The more she did, the more the vibration that shook the training ground faded, but Vahn's energy was a calm storm.
Calm, Storm. As if completely opposite words were put together, her energy held a divine majesty.
'It's not that I don't resist because of the hierarchy. All of my brethren...… really weighed down by the energy.'
The strongest warriors that Jin knows.
Jin wondered if this would be possible, even for Chiron Runcandel, Ron Hairan and Temar, whom Jin had experienced in the Great Desert of Mitra, against as many as 12 battle kings and 64 ordinary warriors of the Plutonian tribe.
"It means that even if we all can go out, we will have no choice but to contribute to Brother Jin, a shameful and weak power compared to those days. Can we protect each other with just that?"
I think this will be enough to keep...… Jin wanted to answer that, but he stayed quiet.
Vahn relieved her energy. The Plutonian tribe took a deep breath and shouted 'no' at the same time.
"From now on, not only Brother Jin, but all the rest of the brethren must practice and train with all their might. There should not be a single brother who is indolent in his former glory."
"We will keep this in mind, sister battle god!"
Excluding Jin from the warning wasn't because Vahn wanted to give him preferential treatment. It was because Jin was the only one who wanted to continue the sparring and asked who was next.
"Sister battle god."
When Eleventh Battle King 'Nata' spoke, Vahn made eye contact with her.
"Speak."
"First of all, I'm sorry once again for showing a lacking image. However, if we continue training like this, the other brethren may not know it, but Brother Jin may be in a bit of danger."
"Do the other brethren feel the same way?"
"Yes, sister battle god. It's true that we felt tired, but we're actually worried about Brother Jin's condition. If he keeps training...…."
"He could die?"
"That's right."
"It seems that the brethren's hearts have become more lax than I thought, seeing them say something new again."
"I'm sorry."
"Training is something that can lead to death."
The Plutonians closed their mouths again when they saw Vahn speaking with strength one word at a time.
Looking back, Battle god Vahn had no qualms about making Jin strong in an aggressive way since he first came to Laprarosa.
She proceeded from the blood transfusion to the death with some degree of thought in mind.
Like many strong men, she believed that Jin could not achieve transcendence without risking his life.
In the first place, the training of the Plutonian tribe was more radical and dangerous than any martial arts group that existed in history. The reason why they reigned as the conquerors of the human world was not just because they were born to fight.
"Baltirok, Rumora, Palem, Linpa, Boras, Dalpir, Beliz, Garmund, Baba, Kaio, Nata, Teto. Fight with the brother Jin again from the beginning in the order in which you became a battle king. I will suppress him when he loss control, so that the people waiting for their turn will warm up in pairs."
"Well, sister battle god? I guess I need to look at the device a bit more...…."
"Didn't you say it was finished?"
"The training will be intense, so I think I should wait to treat my brothers. I don't think there's anything special to use. There are 11 battle kings only if I leave, so if one of them sparred with the brother Jin, wouldn't it be good for the other 10 to pair up?"
"Then let everyone except Brother Boras start training. Even ordinary warriors form a group."
Boras chuckled and wished his brothers good luck.
***
Another four days passed.
Jin's consciousness is going off and on again, like a magic light flickering, while the rest of the Plutonian tribe barely stand on their shaky legs and find their opponents.
"This time, the brother 12th battle king is going against me...."
"Huhhhhhhhhh."
"What are you spitting out, brother 6th battle king....?"
"Hee, hee, it's a butterfly, a butterfly."
"Calm down, Sister Nata! That's not a butterfly, it's vomit."
Vahn and Boras were looking down at the fallen Jin in a state so deplorable that it was difficult to tell whether it was training or torture.
"Brother Jin lost control less than 10 times in the past four days... If this is the case, I think we can start slowly. What do you think sister battle god?"
"I guess so. Brother Jin must be tired of the chaos that is gradually encroaching on him, so get ready. Training over! Brethren, take your seats."
As if they were finally alive, the Plutonian took their seats, and Boras brought the Chaos Extraction Aid in front of Jin.
The machine was in the shape of a column, but when Boras pressed a button, the seams opened and things like chairs and belts came out.
Boras sat Jin, limp like seaweed, on a chair, and tied sashes around his head. Like training, it also looked like a scene of torture.
Then, Vahn put her hand on Jin's illuminating heart.
Then, the illuminating heart spewed out dazzling light like a waterfall, and Jin felt his mind clear in an instant.
"Whoa...."
"You come to your senses, Brother Jin."
"I thought it was the underworld, but fortunately I am still alive. Sister battle god."
"From now on, I will take out the chaos of my brother."
"How... Uh."
Suwook-!
Suddenly, Vahn's hand dug into Jin's heart. Because Vahn had taken some measures, the illuminating heart was as soft as mud.
'Crazy... By extraction, did you literally mean to physically take it out? It's much worse than when sister Yona briefly took out Dame Amela's chaos.'
As if looking for something hidden in the barrel, Vahn squeezed her hand and caught the energy of chaos hidden in Jin's illuminating heart.
The sense that she caught the chaos came very clearly. And so was the "chaos is feeling" fear.
"... As expected, it's not in good condition."
"Will the side effects be worse than what sister battle god thought?"
"I hope it doesn't."
Knock!
Vahn's grasp stained with energy held somewhere in the chaos as if subduing a beast by grabbing it by the scruff of its neck.
And just as Jin was about to ask something more.
[Kii...!]
Vahn began to withdraw her hand from the heart, and immediately a scream of chaos came.
'Demon God's orb, it sounds similar to Glyek's voice. I never thought I'd hear this horrible sound again here.'
If the brethren hadn't been around, Jin would have been overwhelmed with great pressure as soon as he heard the screams. The Sword Emperor Castle incident was Jin's worst nightmare.
However, at that time, the Demon God's orb and Glyek gave despair to everyone with just their voices, but now it was the opposite.
[Kii, Keek!]
The screams of chaos were filled with a sense of urgency rather than dignity, almost to the point of sounding like a plea for help.
[Kiii, Keee!]
Eventually, the part that appeared to be the 'head' of chaos protruded from the heart. Its head was crumpled unsightly by Vahn's grip, and its eyes were constantly rolling. It doesn't even dare to make eye contact with Vahn.
"Come out quietly... If you want to disappear with less pain."
Surprisingly, Chaos stopped clattering from then on. Instead, it showed an attitude of complete submission to Vahn, enduring the pain with eyes tightly closed. Just as Amela's chaos feared Yona.
Eventually, when more than half of the chaos came out, Jin was first surprised at how gigantic it was...…
He couldn't help but be shocked by the fact that it wasn't just chaos that was coming out of his body.
Strength.
The strength that Jin has accumulated throughout his life as a magic swordsman is also being mixed in with the chaos.
"Sister Vahn! My strength is mixed with the chaos...!"
Vahn nodded her head as if she knew, and completely extracted the chaos.
Kudk-! thud!
Vahn pulled it out as if digging the roots of a sweet potato, but the thrown Chaos had a huge body almost equal to Murakan. The shape was similar to that of a dragon.
And as soon as it got out, it fell flat on its face in front of Vahn, letting her know that it had no will to fight.
[Kiiii....]
"Oh, fortunately it was extracted in one shot. Luckily, it seems to have almost no side effects, so once the sister battle god subdues it...…."
"Looks like you didn't listen to Brother Jin because you were messing with the device. The side effect is loss, Brother 5th battle king."
Losing strength, Boras touched his forehead as soon as he heard Vahn's words.
"Loss? Not the lost mind, encroachment, or transformation?"
"Yes."
"This."
Even in the middle of the conversation, chaos continued to look around.
"Then sister Vahn can't take care of that for Brother Jin...."
Vahn met Jin's eyes.
"Brother Jin will have to fight it himself from now on."
"... It took all my strength, sister battle god."
"That's why only brother Jin should deal with it. If I take care of it instead, the brother's energy will inevitably disappear along with that. Brother Jin has to fight and retrieve it."
At those words, Chaos immediately grasped the situation and smiled. It immediately realized that Vahn's weakness is Jin.