C619
The two men, who had an astounding 22nd bout, were unconscious for over a week.
During that time, the Goddess of Battle Vahn halted the progress of the bouts.
Originally, even if an "accident" occurred, the Great Battle Kings Tournament always continued immediately, but this time was different.
This was because Jin was the tribe's only hope to escape the dead world.
His death meant halting the tribe's history once again.
"Brother Fifth Battle King!"
"What happened, are our brothers alright?"
"Brothers"? Hey, Brother Eighth Battle King! Haven't you seen what Jin did to Brother Tenth Battle King after the bout...!"
"Brother Tenth Battle King was the first to treat Brother Jin as an enemy. Not that Brother Jin did a good job either, but Brother Tenth Battle King shouldn't have gotten that far in the first place.""So stabbing the unsuspecting brother in the chest and even bursting sword energy on him? This isn't an accident, it's an intentional assassination attempt."
"Brothers, calm down! Listen to what Brother Fifth Battle King has to say!"
Boras had a haggard face from the intensive surgery that lasted over a week.
"...both are alright. They won't suffer any disabilities and their lives aren't in danger. But they need extreme rest, so don't meet with them until I say it's okay."
The Legends nodded.
Boras, foreseeing any contingencies, had separated the hospital rooms of both individuals.
The Legends took their positions in front of the rooms of the individuals they supported.
Even before the 22nd bout, the Legends were divided and engaged in daily skirmishes.
However, now there was an overwhelming majority of Kaio supporters compared to before, when the faction was split in half.
It had to be this way.
It's true that Kaio initially acted as if he couldn't recognize Jin, but he didn't cross the line.
Jin, on the other hand, clearly crossed those lines.
Furthermore, strictly speaking, Kaio followed the traditions and principles of the Great Battle Kings Tournament.
Until Jin's provocation, Kaio hadn't directly attacked Jin.
The Battle Kings in front of Jin's hospital room were Linpa, Beliz, and Garmund.
Since there were fewer than 10 ordinary warriors, including Shaku, it clearly showed how most of the Legends felt.
However, even among those who were on Jin's side, there wasn't an unconditional stance of support towards him.
They also believed that Jin had committed a grave sin.
Still, it was only to point out that Jin hadn't been expelled from the position called "brotherhood".
The rest of the brothers were mostly in favor of Jin being expelled, and not just expelled, but it should be accompanied by a strong punishment.
"Damn it, how did we get to this...?" said Garmund, touching his forehead.
He felt the most responsible for this incident.
He believed that if he had fought properly, the situation wouldn't have escalated to this extent.
"Stop blaming yourself... Brother Garmund. It's not... your fault."
"Yes, let's think about how to resolve this issue. Ha, does our brothers' unity end here? Like this, we're no different from the stupid other races we used to hate in the past."
Those who wanted to expel Jin, and those who didn't.
In reality, they had no choice.
The absolute decision-making power of the tribe rests solely with the Goddess of Battle, Vahn.
Vahn only halted the Great Tournament Kings, but even then, she didn't express her intention otherwise.
Not only that, but she completely isolated herself with Lingling from the rest of the world.
"The Sister Goddess of Battle should say something at a time like this."
"This is the first time Sister Goddess of Battle has stayed quiet at a time like this. What the hell is she thinking?"
As concern and anger among the Legends grew, Jin and Kaio woke up just two days later.
Upon waking up, Jin immediately expressed his thoughts to the brothers who rushed to him after receiving permission from Boras.
"Unless the Sister Goddess of Battle disciplines me personally, I will continue to participate in the Great Tournament of Battle Kings as planned. If necessary, I will continue to adhere to the same methods as to defeat Brother Kaio."
It was unexpected for the brothers who had been waiting.
Naturally, they expected Jin to reflect on his excessive actions and apologize to the enraged Legends.
"Brother Jin, are you insane? Are you going to do it again?"
Jin nodded silently in response to Beliz's furious voice.
"Yes. The Great Battle Kings Tournament isn't fundamentally a simple sparring match, but a battle, Sister Seventh Battle King. And I will demonstrate my will and my qualifications in this battle."
"Is it alright to do such things just for victory? Do you really believe that trampling on the faith and affection of brothers and winning is really a fair competition!?"
"I can do even more than that. If you think it's unfair, the brothers fighting against me can do the same."
"....Unlike Brother Jin, Brother Tenth Battle King suffered such grave injuries that he can no longer continue in the Great Battle Kings Tournament. Brother Jin, you burst your sword energy into his chest! It will take him at least a year to recover. He's currently at a point where he can't even eat alone! Can't you feel anything?"
"I almost lost both my eyes to Brother Tenth Battle King. In the end, my entire head was about to disappear."
"But that didn't happen. Why? It's because Brother Tenth Battle King wasn't able to shoot you in the end."
"That's right. If they really couldn't finish me off, I don't know. Anyway, Brother Kaio lost, and I will win in the next bout. You can't kill me because we're brothers? From the start, participating in a battle where accidents and deaths are inevitable, adopting such a withdrawn mentality is the problem."
"What...?"
"And do you think the reason Brother Tenth Battle King didn't shoot the arrow at me was because he really cared about me? It's probably because if it's not me, the hope for brothers to get out disappears."
Beliz raised her arm as if to slap Jin. Then, she lowered her trembling arm again.
"I hope the brothers treat me as they should. If they truly accept me as a brother, they shouldn't have denied me being Sigmund's Successor just because another possibility has arisen now."
"Not all the brothers did that."
"But many did. Even the Goddess of Battle Sister didn't contain the atmosphere. And what's the result? The brothers are already divided, and most of them support Brother Kaio. In a way, it's not even a division. Now that the opportunity to deny my succession, which they didn't like from the beginning, has come, unity is closer."
In the face of Jin's malicious words, all the brothers beside him bit their lips.
To the point of wondering if he's the same Jin they knew.
"...I guess we've misunderstood Brother Jin."
"I've never really felt included in the words 'our tribe'. Now even you, in the end, will turn around and stay on the other side. After all, the arm will end up bending inward."
As Beliz turned around and left the hospital room, the ordinary warrior followed her. Rinpa and Garmund stayed behind for a while and looked at Jin.
"Brother Jin... why are you... doing this?"
"Brother Jin! You're not like this. It started because of me, but now you're definitely wrong! Brother Tenth Battle King might have been a bit rough, but do you really think the reason he couldn't shoot you was because he wanted to get out?"
"Please leave."
Jin closed his eyes, and the two remained silent for a while.
"...Brother Jin... just remember this. If you continue like this, all the brothers might truly... drift away."
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Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Kaio's hospital room was a bit heavier.
Everyone was silently repressing their anger.
If the lightning had exploded in a slightly more dangerous position, Kaio's Light Heart would have shattered and he would be almost crippled.
"He should be banished."
"You're right! I don't even want to call him brother anymore, he's crossed the line. This is clearly an attempted murder against a brother."
"If we banish him, we can't leave forever, but we can't just stand still."
Kaio silently swallowed the porridge that Battle King Baba gave him to eat.
"Sister Goddess of Battle just gave the order!"
Shouted Mouka, who had just entered the hospital room.
"What did she say?"
"She said that the Great Battle Kings Tournament will continue as soon as Brother Jin fully recovers."
Sighs sprouted from all around.
Of course, they wanted punishment for Jin, but it wasn't easy to accept since it was announced that the Great Battle Kings Tournament would continue.
The fact that the Great Battle Kings Tournament was continuing again meant that Kaio would be excluded.
Kaio was now in a state where he could no longer participate in the Great Battle Kings Tournament.
"...This makes it clear. Sister Goddess of Battle has no intention of directly disciplining Brother Jin."
However, the tribe members didn't think it was favoritism from Vahn.
Rather, they considered it giving them a "choice".
About what to do with Jin. Or, they thought it was giving Jin another chance.
To see how he behaves in the next match and how he treats his brothers.
"Sister Goddess of Battle must have the same thought. Even if it means we can't leave, we can't just get over it."
"Yes. If her intention were never to punish Jin, she would have given orders never to retaliate."
"Brother Jin is not qualified to inherit the God of Battle. Not only did he lack strength, but he even tried to kill Tenth Brother using the fact that we couldn't leave if Brother Jin died."
"When it's my turn, I'll take Tenth Brother's place...."
When several tribe members revealed their intentions to kill, Baba stopped the porridge.
"By the way, in the end, Brother Jin didn't kill Tenth Brother. Everyone, let's calm down a bit."
"Ninth Sister Battle King. Do you mean we need to think more?"
"When Eighth Brother did something stupid, the reason Tenth Brother got so angry was because of Ninth Sister Battle King. Don't tell me you didn't know."
Ninth Battle King, Baba.
Until their destruction, most tribe members thought that the person who would succeed Vahn would ultimately be Baba.
The Battle Kings, including Kaio, had been fighting to defeat her all their lives. Baba was the final victor in the last Great Battle Kings Tournament before the destruction.
"Haha, I know. I know, but do you really want to kill Brother Jin? It might be a mistake. Besides, even though everyone says it, they don't have the confidence to banish or kill Brother Jin."
"Baba...."
Finally, Kaio raised his head with a hoarse voice and everyone looked at him.
Kaio opened his eyes and said,
"If... if Jin makes another mistake. Then end... him yourself."
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