C463
Boom!
As soon as Amela finished speaking, something resembling a sword shot out from the murky fog that gathered behind her.
Jin and Murakan easily dodged it, as if they had expected it.
"I knew she had a side like the older sister Yona, but this person seems even crazier than I expected."
The blades of the murky fog struck where Jin and Murakan had been.
Just by seeing how they cut through the ground like water, one could tell that this attack was not just for intimidation.
Murakan instinctively tried to counterattack but restrained himself.
He recalled Jin's words, emphasizing focusing on defense and avoiding attacks until they could communicate with Amela.
"Argh, damn it! It's annoying to keep dodging like this."
Not even five seconds had passed when more than a hundred swords aimed at Jin and Murakan.
Amela sat there, controlling the entire process with gestures and small hand movements.
It's as if she's a god in this area, Jin thought when a blade flew right in front of him and he swatted it away.
The blade fragments didn't fall to the ground but flew towards Jin.
It was something that couldn't be done with aura or mana.
It was a move that could only be achieved with a special type of power, the power of chaos.
[Hmph, dodging? You're fast. Let's see how long you can keep dodging!]
The number of blades formed in the air began to rapidly increase.
Even with a rough estimate, it was more than double than before, and all these swords pressed on Jin and Murakan from all sides.
It was impossible to dodge or break them all with bare hands, even with all their efforts.
Amela rolled her eyes and stomped in frustration.
As a result, the entire area began to dangerously vibrate, and the blades multiplied again, now exceeding five hundred.
Swish!
It was impossible to evade or deflect so many blades, even for Jin. So, he unsheathed Sigmund.
[Heh, look, you can't just take it out because you're annoyed, can you?]
"I took it out to defend myself, so bear with it a little longer."
Woo!
At the same time, more than five hundred swords shot out, blocking Jin and Murakan's view.
However, in the next moment, Jin executed the Sword of Legends Technique: Petal Cascade and Thunderbolt.
Effortlessly shattering all the swords formed by the murky aura.
Jin destroyed the projectiles just like when they first entered this space, leaving Amela visibly bewildered.
Why aren't they affected?
Why aren't they going crazy?
She still ignored that Jin was a Thousand Year Contractor.
In fact, she didn't even know who these men in front of her were.
She didn't know who Jin Runcandel and the Black Dragon Murakan were, nor the turmoil they had caused in the world recently.
In short, Amela had little interest in worldly affairs, as Valeria had expressed in her past life.
"Great mercenary Amela, I am Jin Runcandel, the Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel."
[A Runcandel?]
"Yes."
[Still, I can't let you live.]
Zipple and Kinzelo and the imperial troops killing each other under the curse, they were over a thousand.
If Amela had cared about the aftermath, she wouldn't have committed such an act.
"You really are someone who doesn't care about rumors."
As Jin retorted, the shape of the swords suspended in the air began to change and transform into a new form.
The newly transformed weapons no longer looked like blades; they now looked like cannons.
Cannons?
All the cannons that could be seen in large-scale wars were aimed at Jin and Murakan.
Bang!
Boom...
Unlike normal cannons, these cannons made of murky aura didn't need to be loaded with ammunition.
Amela's will constantly formed and fired projectiles at high speed.
The barrage of projectiles from these cannons made it impossible for Jin and Murakan to see anything in front of them.
It seemed that traversing these cannons without Bradamante's Shadow Energy armor would require battle god techniques or decisive killing moves, or something similar.
'But Lata and Fey might be in danger if I do that.'
Bouvard felt like a soul without a physical body, but there was no need to worry about him getting injured even if he did.
And it wasn't clear if Amela would protect her beloved toys even in extreme situations.
'I'd like to resolve it with the Sword of Legends even if it involves using force.'
Shadow Energy.
Jin initially drew Sigmund instead of Bradamante out of habit (to minimize the exposure of Shadow Energy to others...), but also due to his past experience.
-I lose control when I see Shadow Energy. You don't have to apologize because I never told you. Haha, I thought you'd hide that power from me, at least until you became a Flagbearer...
During his time as a potential Flagbearer, Yona almost killed Jin in the place where he first encountered Shadow Energy.
There were no guarantees that Amela would react the same way as Yona, but it was better to be cautious.
Jin had come to her to make her an ally.
But at this point, Jin himself was defenseless.
He never thought it would be impossible to have a conversation to this extent.
The cannonade stopped for a moment.
Not because Amela was tired, but because she wanted to check if Jin and Murakan were finished.
[I'm sick of this. I'm trying so hard to kill you, shouldn't that mean you have to die?]
Of course, both of them were standing there and seemed perfectly fine.
The aura shield had been seriously damaged, more than a tattered rag.
Jin and Amela locked eyes.
"You seem pretty calm for someone who claims to have tried so hard. You're not even breathing hard."
While Jin and Murakan had used up their energy to create the shield, Amela's weapons remained unscathed despite the massive barrage of cannon fire she unleashed.
[That's right. My power is infinite in this place. So, why don't we end this without draining each other? Just so you know, that strange lightning sword of yours can't touch me.]
Suddenly, a dagger materialized in Amela's hand.
It's fascinating.
She could form anything with the murky fog, especially here.
'As expected, Amela temporarily gains transcendental power due to some special effect.'
Without hesitation, Amela cut her left wrist with the dagger. However, the murky aura splattered from the cut wrist, protruding from her thick clothing, instead of blood, and immediately reformed her clone.
"You're quite resilient, Amela."
Murakan shook his head.
"Normally, that kind of rapid regeneration is the specialty of demonic creatures and demons. But now it seems even humans do it. Hey, did I get your name right? Amela? You should be careful, or you'll die for real."
[No matter where you go, those who are going to die are you. I just want to give you the opportunity to die comfortably. And I hope you stop bothering my cuties and wasting my precious time.]
"I've done everything in my power to be as polite as possible, Amela. So allow me one more question before we finish. Is there any faction among those currently on the Gaifa islands that is allied with you?"
The Four Main Factions were still fighting outside with the colossal form of Bouvard controlled by Amela, but Jin asked the question on purpose.
Forming an alliance might not stop the attacks, and it wouldn't be surprising given her personality.
[Why do you want to know that?]
"I came here like the others from outside, wanting to recruit you. I've heard that you wander the world, seeking adventures and searching for something. I think it might be related to this murky aura, the Chaos."
[Do you know anything about Chaos?]
"I don't know much."
[Then we can't be friends.]
Jin's gaze turned to Bouvard's soul, which was furiously pounding the air and exhaling breath.
"Are you friends with Bouvard Gastón?" Jin asked in a calm tone, as if asking a child.
A while ago, Jin believed that Bouvard had come with Kinzelo and had been captured by Amela.
However, unlike the Proch brothers, Bouvard seemed to be only a spirit-like form, so it might not be the case.
'Kinzelo probably has much more information about Chaos than I do. And Bouvard, who looks like a spirit, might be some form of Chaos or a sculpture, amplifying Amela's power.'
Amela reluctantly nodded.
[Well... yes.]
It seemed she had no choice but to confirm it.
She befriended Bouvard in her quest for information about chaos, even though she had no desire to be close to him.
Jin's gaze turned cold upon hearing her answer.
"So, you've sided with Kinzelo."
[I'm not entirely sure about that... Wait, why are you interrogating me like this? I can kill you!]
"I asked this question to determine if I can kill you, Great Mercenary Amela."
A sudden crack appeared in the ground where Jin stood. Jin channeled his energy, and the air around him became oppressively heavy.
And the shining Bradamante Sword emerged from its sheath.
Jin hadn't come to these lands with the idea of recruiting Amela unconditionally.
-I must recruit her. If recruiting her is impossible, at least I must keep her in check.
As he told Valkas, Jin had considered the possibility of her becoming an enemy.
In that case, he would have to decide whether to kill her, spare her, or incapacitate her to face their enemies.
Jin's choice would depend on the extent of her power.
It was definitely the first option, given this level of power.
How many Runcandels would die when the day came for the Runcandel Family to face Kinzelo in a large-scale battle, and if Amela, with her nearly infinite power, entered the battlefield?
To prevent such a future, Jin had no choice but to kill Amela.
"You didn't welcome me when I entered your territory, but I don't hold it against you. Even if you had rejected my offer more politely, my decision wouldn't have changed if you had become friends with my enemies. I hope you don't hate me for this."
Swish!
The Bradamante Sword turned black as it infused with Shadow Energy.
At that moment, Amela's eyes widened.
"Shadow Energy? Then, you're the Thousand Year Contractor by any chance...!"
Amela quickly began firing the cannons in response to Jin's actions. However, Jin, protected by his Shadow Energy armor, advanced through the cannonades and swung Bradamante towards Amela.
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KO-FI
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