C612
January 15, 1802.
It had been more than a year and a half since Jin entered Lafrarosa.
Most of that time was dedicated to purifying the Chaos, so it had only been about two months that Jin had been completely focused on training.
Since Vahn accepted Lingling until now.
However, in the last two months, Jin had experienced a period of astounding growth.
"Hah, hah~."
Jin sheathed his sword, catching his breath.
In front of him was the enormous sword mark he had just created. It was much deeper and more ominous than the one Temar had left in the training field.
Then, as always, a strong sense of exhaustion set in, and the God of Battle Fusion dissipated.For 10 minutes, the current Jin and Vahn were able to stably maintain the highest level of synchronization during that time.
This meant that, during those 10 minutes, Jin became nearly invincible.
"How does it feel, brother Jin?"
"It's a pity. I still need your power to reach this state, sister Goddess of Battle."
"You're talking nonsense. If you say that elsewhere, you'll be resented."
"I know. Where else could I talk about such hardships if not with my siblings?"
Pouring everything into becoming stronger, feeling the thrill of clear achievements every day... it was a happiness that Jin wouldn't trade for anything.
Of course, the power available during the God of Battle Fusion couldn't be attributed solely to Jin.
However, what he had gained by training with Vahn's shared experiences and senses was undoubtedly Jin's strength.
'I thought so, but... as expected, the final ability of the Shadow Blade when I cut Lingling was at a level that could never be called complete.'
The experience of Vahn.
As the synchronization speed of the God of Battle Fusion increased, Jin vividly absorbed everything Vahn told him.
Thanks to this, he was also able to glimpse the knowledge of the Shadow Blade and the Sword of Legends.
In other words, Jin learned the Shadow Blade and the Sword of Legends without any dedicated training.
Certainly, there is a considerable distance between understanding something intellectually and applying it in practice, so repetitive training is always necessary. However, training with a clear understanding of the essence promises overwhelming efficiency.
'If it's now, I can execute a Shadow Blade better than then. The Sword of Legends too...'
Unlike when Jin temporarily became stronger due to chaos demonization, there are no side effects in training through the God of Battle Fusion.
'If I can keep growing like this, I might be able to return sooner than expected.'
Rosa had granted him three years. Now that half of that time had passed, Jin suddenly felt curious about how much the outside world had changed.
"What are you thinking about? Brother Jin."
Boras, who had just entered the training field, sat next to Jin and asked.
"Brother Boras. I was just reminiscing about the outside for a moment."
"You seem worried."
Jin shook his head.
"We don't get along well, but my mother, who is now the acting matriarch, is strong. She is someone who takes responsibility for what she says. There probably won't be any problems with the clan within three years."
Jin trusted Rosa's obsession with surviving as a Runcandel. As long as Rosa was there, Jin believed there would be no problems with the Runcandel Family even in his absence.
'...If my mother wasn't there, coming to Lafrarosa might have been a much harder decision.'
Looking back, the majesty of the Runcandel that he knew from his past life had considerably diminished.
From Jin's perspective, Runcandel was an absolute fortress that would never collapse if a family member was missing.
But not now.
'My father and my elder sister Luna are still absent, and after the war at Sword Emperor Castle, the Family doesn't have the same solidarity as before. It's the reason why I brought Joshua, but that's not all.'
Kinzelo hid the existence of Orgal, the Demon Beast King, and his powers, and Zipple is trying to transcend "humanity" by creating an orb and fleets of Demon Gods, and even the Empire has created Demon Men using Temar's body.
Meanwhile, only Runcandel remained stagnant.
The fact that clearly revealed this was the War of Sword Emperor Castle. Until that dreadful war finally concluded, Runcandel did not live up to its name.
The fact that Rosa, who is clearly his "enemy," supports the Family is bitter.
When Jin returns, he will have to eliminate her and reorganize the entire Family.
To regain the dignity that could match the old Runcandel, to restore the glorious appearance of the old Runcandel.
"Brother Fifth Battle King."
"Yes, sister Goddess of Battle."
"Call all the brothers to the Hall of the Gods of Battle."
Jin could sense what Vahn would say.
Is it time to start my duels with the brothers?
Jin began to feel curious. How much difference was there now between him and the Battle Kings brothers?
Until a year and a half ago, all the Battle Kings of the Legends had greater combat prowess than Jin.
Even if it was a light sparring, even Teto, the Twelfth Battle King, almost overpowered Jin and overwhelmed him.
All the other Kings were stronger than Teto.
"Are we leaving already?"
"No, you and I will go when we have rested enough. To the point where we can use the God of Battle Fusion again."
"Yes."
A few hours later, as the two slowly made their way to the Hall of the Gods of Battle, they saw the brothers who had already gathered waiting in line.
When Vahn ascended the throne in the hall, 76 Legends, excluding her, all the surviving Legends erased from history, admired her. Her Light Heart and that of Jin resonated with Vahn's energy, generating a more intense light than usual.
The radiance spreading from the Light Hearts filled the atmosphere, but the sight of them all gathered gave a somewhat empty and lonely feeling.
Once, the entire main hall of the Hall was filled with their light, like a vast plain.
Now, from a distance, it would probably seem like just a handful of light.
"The reason I have gathered the brothers today is to commemorate."
Lingling also read the atmosphere and behaved accordingly.
"Since our time stopped, the first to awaken us was Temar. However, more than Temar, the one who helped us enjoy even more time is none other than the brother Jin present here."
When everyone nodded, Jin felt uncomfortable again.
Jin believed that what he received from the brothers was much greater than what he gave.
"And brother Jin declared that he would return us to the human world."
For now, there were only hints, and no definitive means yet, but the Legends had no doubt that Jin would surely do it. Jin himself believed in it.
"Our story will soon begin again. Therefore, I want to revive a tradition long forgotten. A tradition allowed only for the strongest among the strong."
"Oh, oh!"
"No way!"
The Legends showed great excitement at Vahn's words.
"The rebirth of history and uninterrupted tradition must be initiated, naturally, by brother Jin. Do you all agree?"
"Yes!"
When the Legends responded energetically, Vahn smiled and shouted:
"Let's initiate the Great Battle Kings Tournament!"
As everyone roared, Jin had no choice but to discreetly ask Vahn.
"Sister Goddess of Battle, what is the Great Battle Kings Tournament?"
"It is the greatest festival of the Legends. As its name suggests, it is a competition where warriors fight against the Battle Kings. The same goes for the Battle Kings."
"Battle? Isn’t it a duel?"
"Yes. The Great Battle Kings Tournament is the only combat where it is allowed to be harmed by a sword."
The Tribe of Legends holds no enmity. Moreover, Legends never fight with the purpose of killing each other.
Whatever the form of dispute, the problem between brothers is resolved through barehanded fighting, and it is only possible to use swords to the extent that they do not cause mortal wounds.
However, such prohibitions did not apply in the Great Battle Kings Tournament.
Of course, "brother-killing" was absolutely forbidden, but mortal wounds that could be treated were allowed.
Upon Vahn's explanation, Jin tilted his head, puzzled.
"Accidents can happen, right? If you fight without those restrictions, there is a possibility you might kill each other."
"Accidents are inevitable."
"...Yes?"
"Unexpected accidents originally apply to everything in the world."
It was indeed an answer fitting for someone who said, "Training is originally something that can lead to death."
"We have always sincerely cherished each other, brother Jin. But even in the history of our tribe, there were many betrayals, murders, conspiracies, and schemes. They were just fewer than in other races."
As always, Boras continued the explanation instead of Vahn.
"In the era of the current sister Vahn, it was truly a time of peace and prosperity for us. That’s why there was never a murder in the Great Battle Kings Tournament, which was held before the destruction, but it was different before. There were times when factions split in fights, and they deliberately killed their opponents to achieve political ends."
There were two reasons why the Legends were excited about the revival of the Great Tournament.
The first is that all the battles of Battle Kings that took place under the leadership of Goddess of Battle Vahn were purely confrontations of strength, and the second. The revival of tradition meant the realization of hope.
After resisting the Gods and being destroyed, the Legends have always lived like the dead in this dead world.
There was no reason to continue traditions or festivals.
The fact that Vahn revived the Great Battle Kings Tournament symbolized her faith in Jin and the history of Lafrarosa, which would be liberated with him.
"Haha, this time I will also free myself from being the weakest among the Battle Kings!"
"Keep dreaming, Brother Twelfth Battle King."
"When does it start? Sister Goddess of Battle! Today? Tomorrow?"
"The opening ceremony will begin immediately."
At Vahn's words, the eyes of the Battle Kings immediately changed. Their eyes shone with a bloodlust to kill Vahn, who was right in front of them.
'...This look is not just a duel close to a real battle; it's a look that really intends to kill Sister Vahn. Is that possible?'
Bang...!
Vahn, she, stomped her foot once, and suddenly the main hall of the Hall of the Gods of Battle separated from the other buildings and began to rise into the sky.
The main hall transformed into a stage for the Great Battle Kings Tournament.
Of course, it was a series of shocks for Jin.
Then, when the main hall settled in the middle of the sky, Vahn pointed at Jin.
"As you all know, the inaugural match of the Great Battle Kings Tournament originally begins with me fighting all my brothers."
"We are all prepared."
"But this time, I will let brother Jin, who has the God of Battle Fusion, take that role."
As soon as those words were released, all the bloodlust of the Battle Kings, which had been directed towards Vahn, began to turn towards Jin.
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