C617
Kaio remained silent, gazing at Jin with cold eyes for a while.
"When it's our turn to fight, as brothers. I'll give you a lesson and carve it into your bones."
"You call us brothers with that bloodlust in your eyes. Looking back, it seems you didn't like me from the start, Brother Tenth Battle King."
"Brother Jin!"
"What nonsense is this? You're going too far! How can you speak to the Brother Tenth Battle King like that...?"
Some members of the Tribe of Legends, who were watching, were startled and shouted. Even Garmund opened his eyes wide in surprise.
"Do you think I'm wrong, brothers? When the Goddess of Battle Sister handed me over to Sigmund, I don't remember the Brother Tenth Battle King congratulating me. Furthermore, now he dares to mock my victory in front of everyone."
There were some who didn't congratulate Jin at that moment, but he deliberately pointed at Kaio.
"That's because the Brother Tenth Battle King was angry with the Brother Eighth Battle King......""If the Brother Tenth Battle King was truly only angry with the Brother Eighth Battle King, he shouldn't have spoken about changing my diapers. The words clearly reveal how the Brother Tenth Battle King truly felt about me. Furthermore, the Brother Twelfth Battle King fought with all his might. But why does the Brother Tenth Battle King speak as if I couldn't defeat him?"
The Legends couldn't immediately refute Jin's words. Jin continued to speak skillfully, preventing his brothers from intervening.
"Furthermore, why do you think the reason the Brother Tenth Battle King caused a disturbance a while ago has nothing to do with my honor?"
"Why do you think that?"
"The Brother Tenth Battle King assumed that the Eighth Battle King had lost to me deliberately, so he expressed his anger. But what did he say right after?"
Jin looked around once.
"Are you really a Battle King of the Great Tribe of Legends? That's how it was. If it had been the Brother Tenth Battle King, he would have said something different. 'To fight like this is an insult to Brother Jin.' Shouldn't it be a priority to take care of brothers who have never participated in the Great Tournament, rather than the honor of the Battle Kings?"
Silence hung in the air.
Although Jin deliberately made his words more provocative, he was not wrong.
To drive the wedge further, Jin looked back into Kaio's eyes.
"Brother Tenth Battle King. I want to say this one last time. Brothers do not tarnish the honor of the Great Tribe of Legends. A while ago, you insulted Eighth Battle King and me based on mere speculation, and assaulted a brother. It was far from brotherly behavior. It's disappointing."
"Brother Jin, stop now. Both Brother Eighth Battle King and Brother Tenth Battle King have made mistakes. But isn't it too much to assume that Brother Tenth Battle King disliked you from the start?"
Jin nodded at Baltirok's words.
"I too have only speculated on the emotions of the Brother Tenth Battle King, as did the First Brother Battle King. And I have never been wrong. See you in our battle, Brother Tenth Battle King."
As Jin turned around and left the main hall, Tantel hurried to chase after him.
"Brother Jin! What are you up to? Have you already forgotten everything I told you?"
"I did it on purpose."
"What?"
"It was necessary to stimulate the fighting spirit of the brothers. Seeing how Eighth Battle King lost to me, it seemed something like this was necessary sooner or later."
"Huh, tell me more."
"Alright, but I'll only tell you. Promise it on the honor of the Goddess of Battle Sister and all the brothers."
---------------
After that day, the atmosphere of Lafrarosa changed.
First of all, the betting with jewel wine stopped.
The betting with jewel wine was for everyone's entertainment, where practically no one was a victim.
Whether someone won or lost, in the end, everyone shared the jewel wine used in the bets, laughing and chatting together.
Everyone tried to cheer up the atmosphere. Such entertainment was only possible when Jin arrived and made time flow in Lafrarosa.
With the disappearance of betting with jewel wine, the laughter of the Legends preparing for the Great Battle Kings Tournament also faded away.
Although they fought fiercely against each other until just before killing the opponent, the Great Battle Kings Tournament fundamentally pursued a friendly competition.
Now, the atmosphere was different. Like before the peaceful era of the Goddess of Battle Vahn, invisible factions had emerged.
The faction that recognized Jin as the Successor of the God of Battle, and the faction that thought it wasn't enough.
The former adopted the stance that they should unconditionally support Jin as a brother, while the latter argued that the situation had changed, and strict scrutiny was necessary.
"I don't know if we have to stay locked up, but if we can go out, the competition for the successor of the Goddess of Battle Sister should be clear."
"That's right, that's also good for Brother Jin. If the Successor of the God of Battle is not someone everyone can recognize, our tribe will end up weakening. Then, we won't be able to go out and support Brother Jin properly."
"Brothers, you're talking nonsense! Brother Jin is chosen directly by the Goddess of Battle Sister. Are you doubting the foresight of the Goddess of Battle Sister?"
"No. At that time, we didn't have hope of going out to the human world. The Goddess of Battle Sister had no choice but to choose Brother Jin."
"Nonsense!"
"If that's not the case, why did the Goddess of Battle Sister leave when the Brother Tenth Battle King and the Eighth Battle King fought? It must be because it's not right to forcibly push Brother Jin like the Eighth Battle King. It might have seemed odd if the Goddess of Battle Sister had stepped forward."
"That's an insult to the Goddess of Battle Sister. Furthermore, since when has the Great Battle Kings Tournament become a competition to determine the Successor of the Goddess of Battle Sister?"
"It has always been implicitly like that. The final winner of the Great Battle Kings Tournament would usually become the next God of Battle."
"Damn it, brothers! To me, it just seems like a meaningless fight. Is this all we can do to appreciate each other? Are you going to test Brother Jin, who has already been designated as the successor? It's shameful to see brothers fighting and arguing only for that reason!"
"In the end, the arm bends inwards. Surely, there will be brothers who consider Brother Jin as an obstacle. Ingrates, ignorants...!"
"Brother Shaku, don't say that. No one thinks like that!"
"That's something I don't know. To be honest, I think the Brother Tenth Battle King sees Brother Jin that way. Am I the only one who saw the Brother Tenth Battle King laugh as if it were ridiculous when Brother Jin lost his two battles in a row this time?"
2 consecutive defeats.
Jin was defeated by Palem in the 12th battle and by Dalpir in the 17th.
Unlike when Jin defeated Teto and Garmund, this time, he suffered a devastating defeat.
"Furthermore, the Third Battle King and the Sixth Battle King were also quite clumsy when facing Brother Jin. They didn't finish him off in one go even when they had the advantage. If they really care about Brother Jin, could that have happened? Besides, those two are very close to the Brother Tenth Battle King."
"We, the Legends, are all close, and don't make baseless speculations!"
"Even if they intentionally made Brother Jin suffer, it was probably to enlighten him as a Battle King. And, whatever the reason, Brother Jin was defeated. It means he is even further from qualifying as the Successor of the Goddess of Battle."
"Have you said enough, Brother Mouka? It happens that we are included in today's preliminary battles. Let's settle it there. Will the winner's opinion be considered correct?"
"Heh, is that how it's going to be? I have no intention of stepping back. Don't regret it!"
Day after day, conflicts among tribe members deepened.
It was hard to believe that just a while ago they lived together so peacefully and idealistically.
Those who tried to remain as neutral as possible felt like they were standing on thin ice every day.
It hadn't collapsed yet, but at any moment, given the chance, everyone could explode, and it wouldn't be surprising.
"Oh my... I thought there wouldn't be such childish conflicts in our era. Shouldn't we all be ashamed in front of our deceased brothers? How can this happen?"
Beliz, who watched them from afar, touched her forehead.
She was the one who had welcomed and appreciated Jin the most from the beginning, but now she worried about maintaining neutrality as the conflict escalated.
"Doesn't the Goddess of Battle Sister say anything else, Brother Fifth Battle King?" Beliz asked Boras, who was sitting beside her.
Boras shrugged and shook his head.
"Is it too unpleasant to watch, or do they have something in mind? Outside of the Grand Tournament, everyone seems to be playing."
"This is madness. If Brother Jin ends up like this with Brother Kaio, it seems a tragedy is going to happen..."
The 22nd match, the battle between Jin and Kaio was just around the corner.
Jin was still recovering from the wounds suffered in the previous defeat, while Kaio, having participated in more battles, was already in top form.
"...I don't think the Brother Tenth Battle King has any intention of being gentle with him. He harbored resentment."
The conflict was the fuel, and the match between the two was the spark.
All tribe members predicted Kaio's overwhelming victory, and since then, the divisions between factions had deepened even further.
Someone had to step back and stop this conflict, but Jin and Kaio seemed far from intending to apologize to each other.
"Ha, it's impossible for the Brother Tenth Battle King to kill Brother Jin, right?"
"Surely he wouldn't do such a crazy thing! He's just angry. What's wrong, Seventh Sister Battle King? Can't you trust the Brother Tenth Battle King? There's no reason for brothers to kill each other."
"Damn it, I don't know. The way the Brother Tenth Battle King behaved that day was like seeing his madness in its day."
When Kaio went crazy. Beliz and Boras clearly remembered what Kaio was like during that time.
At that time, Kaio was always ready to cross the line.
Everyone worried, and at the same time, anticipated.
Without resolving anything, time came to the day of the battle between Jin and Kaio.
Above the main hall, all tribe members gathered, watching Jin and Kaio with suspense.
Vahn, as always, had a calm face that did not betray her emotions.
"Finally, we meet face to face, Brother Tenth Battle King."
In response to Jin's words, Kaio nodded.
Kaio only responded with a cold, monotone voice.
"If you feel like you're going to die, scream for mercy. Otherwise, there might be an incident."
-
KO-FI
'Ko-Fi' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r ( Up to '120' more ch4pt3rs) Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-