* * *
“Are you really going to keep doing this?”
“What made Brother Jin so angry?”
“Was it so upsetting when we said that a new test is necessary when you have already become the successor of sister battle god? Enough to stab your brethren! Brother Jin can understand things if he really thinks about the situation of other brethren."
“Besides, not all the brethren claimed that you must be tested again, Brother Jin. Even brother 10th battle king only wanted a fair great war of battle kings, but he did not had the attitude to necessarily take away what brother Jin had.”
“Say something!”
As Baba said, even though the members of the Plutonian tribe were so angry, they still didn't have the heart to kill or banish Jin.
In Kaio's hospital room, they talked about it as if they were about to throw Jin away, but what they wanted most was a conversation with Jin.
The Plutonian tribe's law that brethren do not held grudges or gratitude among themselves was still valid for Jin.
But Jin was making things worse and worse.
The Plutonians were ready to let settle things if Jin made a sincere apology, but he only dismissed all the brethren, who visited him, coldly.
As the days went by, the Plutonian tribe’s disappointment deepened. Looking at the infinitely cold, selfish, and unfamiliar Jin, they wondered if he is the person they knew even existed.
“Everything he showed us so far has been fake. How can a person change so much in an instant? We wanted to give him everything!"
“Would we have ignored it if he had honestly told us not to test his ability further since he has already inherited Sigmund? Not only brother 10th battle king, but all the brethren would have accepted that.”
“He thinks we are making a fuss to take away what belongs to him. As brethren, he really hated giving other brethren equal opportunities. He has a attitude like ‘those who can't go outside without me dare to come and test my qualifications now?’“
“He couldn't really become a Plutonian tribe member. In the end, he was just a human being, the race that was always greedy!"
Sadness turned into anger, which soon turned into a feeling close to hatred. The depth of the rift between them was a problem that nobody could have imagined happening in just a moment.
With 77 people, adding Jin made it 78, and even including Lingling made it 79.
The city, filled with old honor and grandeur in golden hues, always had a vibrant and radiant atmosphere even with such a small number during Jin's visits. However, now it was filled with tense unease.
"Phew."
Jin spent his time in empty houses on the outskirts of Laprarosa, away from the temple of battle god.He didn't visit the temple when it wasn't his own match, even when there was a match between battle kings.
'I've felt it since the last time, but it's really something that I can't able to do.'
Jin didn't feel comfortable.When he provoked Kaio, when he stabbed him insidiously, and even when he continued to provoke all his brethren now. Of course, his heart was bitter and pained, as if filled with acid.
But as the situation became more serious, he became more certain that he had to go through this process at least once.
'I shouldn't leave the feeling that my inheritance of Sigmund is a reward that I earned for nothing.'
The order.
Except for battle god, all the members of the Plutonian tribe were equal. But looking back, Jin always had an exceptional position.
Even though he was not a brethren, he mastered the Plutonian swordsmanship, and after becoming a brethren, he succeeded Sigmund right away.
That's why, even when lining up, Jin's position is next to Vahn, and in the opening battle, he battled with all the Plutonian tribesmen in a single battle.
All this happened in just a few years they spent together.
They never fought a life-and-death fight with their back left to others, never defended a territory, never conquered, never slaughtered an enemy, never joined a war where fate was at stake.
Jin has always been came here to receive. However, as Tantel said, the Plutonians were also living beings, so they had very ordinary emotions.
Even after the Plutonian tribe accepted Jin as their brethren, even after Jin was ranked next to Vahn, they always regarded Jin as someone they had to ‘take care of’.
They were trapped in a dead world and their time with Jin was very short, so they couldn't treat him completely equally. In other words, the Plutonian tribe only saw Jin as a younger brother.
Jin, as a Plutonian tribe brother with a second-ranked status, believed that he should not be the one who was cared for, but rather the one who should be fought for. He wanted to be a target to transcend equality and even surpass it. If he had shown a transcendent power like Vahn, and if there had been enough time for it, there would have been no need to fuel conflict as it is now.
It was the same even when the Plutonian tribe was still confined in Laprarosa.
There would have been no problem as long as he was treated as a beloved youngest brother without conflict. But in order to fight with his brethren outside and eventually control them as a leader, a real fight was necessary. Not a play-like fight, but a real fight.
After that fight, it was necessary to see what remained. It's not that Jin isn't worried at all. Because was no guarantee that the results obtained after the fight would always be good.
‘I have to clear my head. Until the Great War of battle kings is over, I just need to focus on training.'
Meditation and reflection.
After waking up, Jin continued to grow at all times except for the Great War.The injury he received in the battle with Kaio further stimulated the senses of battle god fusion, and Jin's training took place on a higher level than what he had done before.
The optimal paths for piercing and cutting, a cool-headedness that was maintained in any situation, a sense of avoiding death, landscapes that seemed to be seen only by those who had transcended, and more...….
In other words, the world of martial arts that only transcendent beings can understand.The image of that world was drawn in Jin’s head without pause. Jin accepted everything surprisingly quickly, of course it’s thanks to the sense of Vahn that he experienced through fusion.
But that wasn't all.
‘Sister battle god’ senses are those of a person who has been strong from the moment they were born. Just like my father.'
Jin's own domain was being added to that sensation. Jin Runcandel’s unique domain, which he obtained through the abyss of the bottom and long despair, as well as through a single death, further enriched the transcendent world.
As a result.
In the 31st Great War, which took place three days later, Jin defeated Nata, the 11th battle king, head-on.
Nata was very spiteful, and a fierce battle ensued, but in the end, Jin emerged as the winner.
'Did he not use all his strength when fighting 10th battle king?'
'No, he is getting stronger. In that short time.'
‘Hmph, Jin must have known exactly how fast he was growing. That's why he crossed the line and became so arrogant. There's no such thing as the idea that all of this is a privilege obtained through battle god fusion.’
In the ensuing battle against Beliz, the 38th match, he was defeated. However, Beliz was threatened with death with right arm cut off, as Jin warned her beforehand, he didn't stop there either.
"This……!”
Even after the victory or defeat had been decided, he thrust the sword towards her neck once more as he did with Kaio.
The Plutonian tribesmen were paying more attention to Jin than before, so fortunately, the sword did not cut Beliz's throat or there was no unfortunate incident in which Beliz fought back and kill Jin. The Plutonian tribe shot thunderbolts and separated the two.
Jin's limbs were twisted in the process, but Beliz was unharmed. Now, even the Plutonians had no qualms about suppressing Jin excessively.
Their anger towards Jin was further amplified.
“Crazy bastard...… You really want to kill your brethren again.”
“Sister 7th battle king defended Jin until this very morning. Now, Sister 7th battle king must have changed her mind.”
Again, after Jin's recovery was over, he defeated Garmund in the 46th match, and in the 50th and 54th match, he was defeated by Baltirok and Lumora, respectively.
Every time he was defeated, he would keep fighting until the very end like a demon and get subdued. But now, no one was surprised by that sight.
Jin's body was becoming increasingly depleted.
Even with his Runcandel’s blessed body, he couldn't continue to withstand the battles against the other battle kings, which he repeated after recovering.
The other Plutonians were also accumulating injuries, but they were fighting a completely different battle than Jin.
The other Plutonians' battles were full of bloodlust and hatred that couldn't be found in Jin's battles.
Those dark energies were consuming Jin like a parasite.
"I…… cannot...… fight."
In the 60th match, Linpa, who faced Jin as her opponent, said that as soon as the battle began.
She couldn't bring herself to fight a beaten-up Jin. The other Plutonians respected her decision.
Linpa is the one who stopped her brethren from challenging the gods until the very end, and she was the one who had committed herself to the precepts with a sense of guilt for her failure.
'Anyway, the next battle is with sister 9th battle king.'
‘No matter how fast he get stronger, he can never win against sister 9th battle king. He's already been defeated by the other battle kings...….’
‘In the end, sister Baba will put an end to it. Sister Baba, who has endured Jin's rampage until now, is now trembling.’
Baba, like Beliz, was also a person who did not give up on Jin until the end.
Even now, she was ready to forgive Jin if he held out his hand.
She hoped that Jin would not go deeper into the darkness and to a place of no return.
“Are you not going to fight me?”At Jin's cold voice, Linpa nodded her head and turned around.
"Yes…….”
“I am warning you, Linpa. Just move one step from there, and I will cut you right there. Don't avoid the fight.”
Linpa didn't care and moved on with her steps and Jin cut her back with the shadow sword.
It was shallow because Linpa reacted, but there was a long scar left behind. Red blood spurted out. The bloodstain, which seemed as if the red lines had been cut off, seemed to symbolize the end of the relationship between the Plutonian tribe and Jin.
“4th, Sister 4th battle king!”
“That crazy bastard……!”
Vahn raised her hand to stop Plutonians, who were about to rush.
“He hasn’t broken the rules yet. If Brother Jin kills sister 4th battle king, I will take care of him myself. Do you want to continue, sister 4th battle king?”
“…… I quit.”
Silence passed. Jin looked down at the fallen Linpa, but when Vahn announced the end of the battle, he turned away indifferently.
And at the moment Jin was about to leave the hall, Baba suddenly moved towards the center of the hall and spoke.
“Sister battle god.”
“Speak, sister 9th battle king.”
“Sister battle god just referred to Jin as a brother, but we can no longer consider him a brother.”
“What do you want to say?”
Baba looked at Jin's back and spoke.
“So, may I kill Jin Runcandel in the next battle?”
* * *
“Are you really going to keep doing this?”
“What made Brother Jin so angry?”
“Was it so upsetting when we said that a new test is necessary when you have already become the successor of sister battle god? Enough to stab your brethren! Brother Jin can understand things if he really thinks about the situation of other brethren."
“Besides, not all the brethren claimed that you must be tested again, Brother Jin. Even brother 10th battle king only wanted a fair great war of battle kings, but he did not had the attitude to necessarily take away what brother Jin had.”
“Say something!”
As Baba said, even though the members of the Plutonian tribe were so angry, they still didn't have the heart to kill or banish Jin.
In Kaio's hospital room, they talked about it as if they were about to throw Jin away, but what they wanted most was a conversation with Jin.
The Plutonian tribe's law that brethren do not held grudges or gratitude among themselves was still valid for Jin.
But Jin was making things worse and worse.
The Plutonians were ready to let settle things if Jin made a sincere apology, but he only dismissed all the brethren, who visited him, coldly.
As the days went by, the Plutonian tribe’s disappointment deepened. Looking at the infinitely cold, selfish, and unfamiliar Jin, they wondered if he is the person they knew even existed.
“Everything he showed us so far has been fake. How can a person change so much in an instant? We wanted to give him everything!"
“Would we have ignored it if he had honestly told us not to test his ability further since he has already inherited Sigmund? Not only brother 10th battle king, but all the brethren would have accepted that.”
“He thinks we are making a fuss to take away what belongs to him. As brethren, he really hated giving other brethren equal opportunities. He has a attitude like ‘those who can't go outside without me dare to come and test my qualifications now?’“
“He couldn't really become a Plutonian tribe member. In the end, he was just a human being, the race that was always greedy!"
Sadness turned into anger, which soon turned into a feeling close to hatred. The depth of the rift between them was a problem that nobody could have imagined happening in just a moment.
With 77 people, adding Jin made it 78, and even including Lingling made it 79.
The city, filled with old honor and grandeur in golden hues, always had a vibrant and radiant atmosphere even with such a small number during Jin's visits. However, now it was filled with tense unease.
"Phew."
Jin spent his time in empty houses on the outskirts of Laprarosa, away from the temple of battle god.He didn't visit the temple when it wasn't his own match, even when there was a match between battle kings.
'I've felt it since the last time, but it's really something that I can't able to do.'
Jin didn't feel comfortable.When he provoked Kaio, when he stabbed him insidiously, and even when he continued to provoke all his brethren now. Of course, his heart was bitter and pained, as if filled with acid.
But as the situation became more serious, he became more certain that he had to go through this process at least once.
'I shouldn't leave the feeling that my inheritance of Sigmund is a reward that I earned for nothing.'
The order.
Except for battle god, all the members of the Plutonian tribe were equal. But looking back, Jin always had an exceptional position.
Even though he was not a brethren, he mastered the Plutonian swordsmanship, and after becoming a brethren, he succeeded Sigmund right away.
That's why, even when lining up, Jin's position is next to Vahn, and in the opening battle, he battled with all the Plutonian tribesmen in a single battle.
All this happened in just a few years they spent together.
They never fought a life-and-death fight with their back left to others, never defended a territory, never conquered, never slaughtered an enemy, never joined a war where fate was at stake.
Jin has always been came here to receive. However, as Tantel said, the Plutonians were also living beings, so they had very ordinary emotions.
Even after the Plutonian tribe accepted Jin as their brethren, even after Jin was ranked next to Vahn, they always regarded Jin as someone they had to ‘take care of’.
They were trapped in a dead world and their time with Jin was very short, so they couldn't treat him completely equally. In other words, the Plutonian tribe only saw Jin as a younger brother.
Jin, as a Plutonian tribe brother with a second-ranked status, believed that he should not be the one who was cared for, but rather the one who should be fought for. He wanted to be a target to transcend equality and even surpass it. If he had shown a transcendent power like Vahn, and if there had been enough time for it, there would have been no need to fuel conflict as it is now.
It was the same even when the Plutonian tribe was still confined in Laprarosa.
There would have been no problem as long as he was treated as a beloved youngest brother without conflict. But in order to fight with his brethren outside and eventually control them as a leader, a real fight was necessary. Not a play-like fight, but a real fight.
After that fight, it was necessary to see what remained. It's not that Jin isn't worried at all. Because was no guarantee that the results obtained after the fight would always be good.
‘I have to clear my head. Until the Great War of battle kings is over, I just need to focus on training.'
Meditation and reflection.
After waking up, Jin continued to grow at all times except for the Great War.The injury he received in the battle with Kaio further stimulated the senses of battle god fusion, and Jin's training took place on a higher level than what he had done before.
The optimal paths for piercing and cutting, a cool-headedness that was maintained in any situation, a sense of avoiding death, landscapes that seemed to be seen only by those who had transcended, and more...….
In other words, the world of martial arts that only transcendent beings can understand.The image of that world was drawn in Jin’s head without pause. Jin accepted everything surprisingly quickly, of course it’s thanks to the sense of Vahn that he experienced through fusion.
But that wasn't all.
‘Sister battle god’ senses are those of a person who has been strong from the moment they were born. Just like my father.'
Jin's own domain was being added to that sensation. Jin Runcandel’s unique domain, which he obtained through the abyss of the bottom and long despair, as well as through a single death, further enriched the transcendent world.
As a result.
In the 31st Great War, which took place three days later, Jin defeated Nata, the 11th battle king, head-on.
Nata was very spiteful, and a fierce battle ensued, but in the end, Jin emerged as the winner.
'Did he not use all his strength when fighting 10th battle king?'
'No, he is getting stronger. In that short time.'
‘Hmph, Jin must have known exactly how fast he was growing. That's why he crossed the line and became so arrogant. There's no such thing as the idea that all of this is a privilege obtained through battle god fusion.’
In the ensuing battle against Beliz, the 38th match, he was defeated. However, Beliz was threatened with death with right arm cut off, as Jin warned her beforehand, he didn't stop there either.
"This……!”
Even after the victory or defeat had been decided, he thrust the sword towards her neck once more as he did with Kaio.
The Plutonian tribesmen were paying more attention to Jin than before, so fortunately, the sword did not cut Beliz's throat or there was no unfortunate incident in which Beliz fought back and kill Jin. The Plutonian tribe shot thunderbolts and separated the two.
Jin's limbs were twisted in the process, but Beliz was unharmed. Now, even the Plutonians had no qualms about suppressing Jin excessively.
Their anger towards Jin was further amplified.
“Crazy bastard...… You really want to kill your brethren again.”
“Sister 7th battle king defended Jin until this very morning. Now, Sister 7th battle king must have changed her mind.”
Again, after Jin's recovery was over, he defeated Garmund in the 46th match, and in the 50th and 54th match, he was defeated by Baltirok and Lumora, respectively.
Every time he was defeated, he would keep fighting until the very end like a demon and get subdued. But now, no one was surprised by that sight.
Jin's body was becoming increasingly depleted.
Even with his Runcandel’s blessed body, he couldn't continue to withstand the battles against the other battle kings, which he repeated after recovering.
The other Plutonians were also accumulating injuries, but they were fighting a completely different battle than Jin.
The other Plutonians' battles were full of bloodlust and hatred that couldn't be found in Jin's battles.
Those dark energies were consuming Jin like a parasite.
"I…… cannot...… fight."
In the 60th match, Linpa, who faced Jin as her opponent, said that as soon as the battle began.
She couldn't bring herself to fight a beaten-up Jin. The other Plutonians respected her decision.
Linpa is the one who stopped her brethren from challenging the gods until the very end, and she was the one who had committed herself to the precepts with a sense of guilt for her failure.
'Anyway, the next battle is with sister 9th battle king.'
‘No matter how fast he get stronger, he can never win against sister 9th battle king. He's already been defeated by the other battle kings...….’
‘In the end, sister Baba will put an end to it. Sister Baba, who has endured Jin's rampage until now, is now trembling.’
Baba, like Beliz, was also a person who did not give up on Jin until the end.
Even now, she was ready to forgive Jin if he held out his hand.
She hoped that Jin would not go deeper into the darkness and to a place of no return.
“Are you not going to fight me?”At Jin's cold voice, Linpa nodded her head and turned around.
"Yes…….”
“I am warning you, Linpa. Just move one step from there, and I will cut you right there. Don't avoid the fight.”
Linpa didn't care and moved on with her steps and Jin cut her back with the shadow sword.
It was shallow because Linpa reacted, but there was a long scar left behind. Red blood spurted out. The bloodstain, which seemed as if the red lines had been cut off, seemed to symbolize the end of the relationship between the Plutonian tribe and Jin.
“4th, Sister 4th battle king!”
“That crazy bastard……!”
Vahn raised her hand to stop Plutonians, who were about to rush.
“He hasn’t broken the rules yet. If Brother Jin kills sister 4th battle king, I will take care of him myself. Do you want to continue, sister 4th battle king?”
“…… I quit.”
Silence passed. Jin looked down at the fallen Linpa, but when Vahn announced the end of the battle, he turned away indifferently.
And at the moment Jin was about to leave the hall, Baba suddenly moved towards the center of the hall and spoke.
“Sister battle god.”
“Speak, sister 9th battle king.”
“Sister battle god just referred to Jin as a brother, but we can no longer consider him a brother.”
“What do you want to say?”
Baba looked at Jin's back and spoke.
“So, may I kill Jin Runcandel in the next battle?”
