C673
Yona Runcandel.
Jin was about to lose his nerves as soon as he saw that figure and her ruthless eyes filled with chaos and murderous intent.
However, showing any vulnerability, even for a moment, in front of a being like her was nothing short of suicide.
Damn it, what have those bastards done to you, Elder Sister?
Jinâs love and affection for his only younger sister were much deeper and greater than his hatred for Rosa and the Garden of Swords, which had emerged in an instant.
The reason Jin could maintain his sanity at that moment was because he was solely focused on protecting his sister from guilt and pain.
When his sister regained consciousness, he didnât want her to feel any pain or guilt he might have caused her.
Kang! Clang!
Bradamtanteâs blade swiftly blocked Yonaâs sword.
Yona showed a moment of confusion, as if she hadnât expected to be blocked so easily, and Dante didnât miss that opportunity.
âJin...!â
However, Dante didnât take advantage of Yonaâs moment of doubt.
He knew better than anyone what Yona meant to Jin, and he couldnât hurt her carelessly.
Dante missed the chance to end the situation as soon as it began, so he didnât know what could happen if he failed to subdue Yona quickly.
She could start an invasion in another tunnel while buying time, or she could indiscriminately massacre the people of the city if she managed to escape from the two of them.
In other words, Dante thought of his friendâs feelings before the empireâs safety.
As the supreme ruler of the empire, it was a decision he should never have made, but as Dante, he had no choice.
âThank you, Dante.â
âHmph, how should we proceed? I ask you this question too often, and it embarrasses me.â
Jin quickly regained his composure.
He felt a stronger anger than ever, but at the same time, his mind and inner self grew even stronger.
From now on, if he made the slightest mistake, he would lose Yona.
âSheâs in a state of loss of reason due to chaos energy, and the Prophet probably did something to deceive her even further.â
Maybe thatâs why she was duller than the Yona Jin knew.
Although she was more destructive, it was clear that Yonaâs unique movement, like a shadow, had faded.
Can she be subdued?
After two more attacks, Jin came to a conclusion.
âDante, if we both get a little hurt, we can subdue her.â
If it was about killing, it would be possible without suffering so much damage.
For Dante, killing Yona was obviously the right thing to do, and Jin was making an unreasonable request.
âAlright.â
But Dante didnât hesitate. If it had been Ron in the tunnel, he would have made the same request to Jin.
âI owe you a lot.â
âThatâs ridiculous. I have a long way to go before I can repay what Iâve received from you.â
Jin put Shadow Energy on Bradamante.
However, even though such thick Shadow Energy shone like fire and pointed at Yona, she showed no reaction.
Is it because of her lack of reason? If it were my sister, she would have a strong negative reaction to the energy.
Yona calmly held her own sword against Bradamante, which was covered in Shadow Energy.
The sword was also not Yonaâs âDeathâ sword.
At first glance, it resembled âDeath,â but it was longer, and above all, it lacked the characteristic creepy feeling.
âHup!â
Dante, who was on the side, exhaled sharply.
Yonaâs blade cut a bit of Danteâs hair.
She had decided to eliminate Dante first.
âI have to be prepared for some serious injuries.â
âIt seems thereâs no major battle outside. Thereâs no commotion at all.â
âCan you sense that from here?â
âThanks to experiencing a bit of transcendent sensation. I hope this tunnel was made only for Elder Sister Yonaâs infiltration.â
Dante could barely concentrate on anything else as he was solely focused on watching Yona.
Even if that werenât the case, reading the outside atmosphere in this deep underground was a daunting task for him.
âAs expected, youâve become a monster, my friend.â
âI keep experiencing these trials, and I wonder if thatâs why.â
When Jin started to seriously constrain her, Yona had to change her plans and deal with Dante first.
The combination of the closest to the strongest magical swordsman in the world and the strongest swordsman of the Empire was a formidable force.
Moreover, the two worked together like twins, so Yona could only launch almost random attacks that were almost like reprisals.
The only problem was that each of her attacks was lethal.
Even if they were attenuated, they were still deadly, and the darkness of the underground made her even freer.
As soon as they saw her in front of them, a sword came from behind, and as soon as they thought they had hit her, a stab from the corner came back in.
Although Jin and Dante fought back-to-back, only Yona could make a blind spot and stab into it.
[Iâm going to kill you... Jin... Runcandel...]
That person couldnât be Yona.
This fact kept gnawing at him, but Jin didnât lose his composure.
âDo you remember the day I first visited Nameless? Even then, my sister almost killed me with this friend.â
[Kill them... all...!]
âAs I did then, today I wonât let you kill me. Iâll make sure of it, for your sake.â
There were many moments when Jin and Dante could end Yona together, but the opportunity to subdue her didnât come, and the two were getting more and more injured. Ɽ�
After realizing that the two didnât even try to cut her deeply, Yona became more daring and risky in her attacks.
âIs everything still fine outside?â
âIf the situation worsens, Iâll let you know immediately... Wait, Dante.â
âHas it started?â
âNo, not that. Did you call me a monster earlier?â
âSuddenly, why?â
Monster. Contrary to the name â...Runcandel,â that word was accurately recorded in Valeriaâs magical record window.
âWhy does Valeriaâs record insist on calling Elder Sister Yona a monster?â
-But if itâs Joshua, is there any reason the Record Magic doesnât show her name correctly?
-Well, maybe because she accepted chaos and became a completely new being. Of course, I canât be sure; itâs just a hunch.
Suddenly, Jin remembered a conversation he had with his comrades before arriving at Sword Emperor Castle.
âAs I guessed then, if she became a new entity by accepting chaos, there should have been a blank space. Is there something different between Elder Sister Yona and ...Runcandel?â
Then maybe itâs not Elder Sister Yona.
Jin thought so. Maybe the Prophet made a clone of Yona or something like Joshuaâs clone.
âMoreover, judging by her state, she doesnât seem to be under proper control. Itâs strange that this vast underground space was created only for Elder Sister Yona. If they had planned to send more people, there would have been chaos outside already. It would be more effective to attack outside when Dante and I were trapped here.â
If the Yona in front of them is not the âreal Yona,â then thereâs no reason to subdue her while enduring injuries.
And this Yona didnât resemble the Yona they knew.
âIf it were Elder Sister Yona, she would have suffered at least once. Even if it wasnât the prophet but someone like Heluram or Gliek who directly consumed her, by now, she would have suffered from fighting me...â
The Yona Jin knew is that kind of person.
Yona is always in danger because of chaos, and she had killed people without reason for a long time, and because of chaos, she always made others afraid.
But she was a person who overcame that horrible chaos and finally learned to love Jin, the family, and people.
She was the one who constantly greened roses for Jin, even while hearing a voice telling her to kill humans.
âDante, go outside.â
âJin, are you thinking of abandoning Lady Yona? Donât do that!â
âI have no intention of doing that. Iâm buying time, so go and bring Euria for me.â
âPrincess Euria?â
âIt may not be Elder Sister Yona. Iâll explain later. I canât face her alone for long.â
It was natural for the two to prepare for serious injuries if they wanted to subdue Yona.
Because they were only taking the hits.
âIâll be back as soon as possible!â
As soon as Dante turned around, Yonaâs sword lunged at them without hesitation.
Jin vaguely cut the visible sword and blocked Yona.
âI used to feel like I was going crazy due to a dirty and ominous feeling, but now I feel like something is easing, and my head is clearing. I have a feeling youâre not the real one.â
Pik-!
Yonaâs sword grazed Jinâs cheek and passed by.
Thatâs how he fought alone against Yona for about ten minutes.
Jin was covered in blood, but his breathing and movements hadnât changed at all.
Instead, his senses, which had been scattered, were now focused on Yona.
âJin!â
âJin oppa!â
Dante bit his lip at seeing Jin covered in blood, but Euria saw there were no deep wounds and didnât panic as much.
âAnd outside?â
This time, Jin asked Dante.
âItâs fine, youâre fine!â
âJin oppa is fine. And that person is...â
Euria focused for a moment, activating Azmilâs power, her eyes glowing green as she perceived Yonaâs truth.
âSheâs not Yona unni!â
âA clone like Joshua?â
âI donât think so, just... a soulless combat doll. Thatâs what it seems to me.â
âAre you sure sheâs not Elder Sister Yona?â
âAbsolutely not.â
Upon Euriaâs confirmation, Jinâs knees gave way, and he knelt on one knee on the ground.
Of course, the fake Yona took advantage of this moment and lunged at Jin, intending to finish him off, and Dante, horrified, shot his sword to protect Jin.
But Yonaâs sword was faster than Danteâs.
However, while kneeling, Jin swung Bradamante, blocking the fake Yonaâs sword and then cut her neck.
âYes... that seemed right. There was no way Elder Sister Yona would do this.â
The headless fake Yona twisted for a moment before disappearing into the air.
In her place, a black lump remained.
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