CHAPTER 677

[T.L: punisher87]

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An uninhabited island in the waters of the Tikan.

Jin chose this place as the place to open the sixth tomb, the subspace of the sword.

In preparation for an emergency, Jin and Tikan's powerful warriors, as well as the sword's owner Hedo and Sandra, were seated in the middle of an uninhabited island.

"Are you going to open the subspace by spreading shadow force like last time?"

"Maybe. To be precise, I'm going to inject it into the sword."

"Hmm."

Hedo adjusted his glasses, looking unhappy.

"Didn't you say in Kaldran Snow Field that the location conditions must be met for opening Temar's tomb, 12th flagbearer? I don't think this uninhabited island is a place that meet those conditions."

"Not all tombs are the same. I only speculated about the situation at that time due to unexpected circumstances."

Hedo shrugged and handed Jin his sword. Jin smiled slyly as he received the sword from Hedo.

"It doesn't seem coincidental that you acquired this sword after a thousand years, Tower Keeper?"

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"I suddenly wondered if it's just a coincidence that you acquired this sword after a thousand years of history. The combination of a ten great knight and a Zipfel butler is not just a coincidence."

"That's a pointless belief in fate."

"I just want to appease you by mentioning useless theories of fate. What if you're a descendant of the ten great knights named Bale. That's why the sword chose you, not just by chance."

"That's a romantic story, honey."

"My lady, it's not romantic at all."

"Why does our stupid butler think that way again?"

"When the patriarch first accepted me into the clan, he checked all of my personal information. You remember, don't you?"

"Oh, those cheap guys who abandoned Hedo. I remember, I never saw their faces because they were already dead."

"Did you hear that, 12th flagbearer? My parents were poor criminals. They abandoned their children because they couldn't afford to raise him, and when they couldn't bear the guilt, they came looking for me at an orphanage, but never took me back. They were criminals who disappeared after their guilt became unbearable."

Hedo seemed unaffected by what he said.

In fact, he didn't feel any particular emotions about being abandoned by his parents from birth. He didn't miss them, nor did he hate them.

"In addition, the clan checked their roots, and it turned out to be a merchant family from the fallen Urot Kingdom. Whatever is inside the sword, it cannot be my ancestor."

"That's a bummer."

"It seems that you, not just the lady, need to learn the mysterious art of pushing and pulling. If you come to me saying you want to recruit me, your heart will be even more troubled, won't it?"

"I will keep that in mind," Jin replied, pretending to be disappointed as he smirked.

Hedo felt a twinge of distaste at his act and thought that he should have beaten him more in the Sota Desert.

Soon, Jin looked around at the people and spoke up, "I will now infuse the sword with shadow force. It would be good if the tomb opens without incident, but I don't know what variables may arise, so everyone should remain vigilant."

"Yes, my lord!"

"Understood, my lord."

As Jin released the shadow force, the area around them instantly grew dark. Even though it was daytime, it seemed like night had descended in an instant, and the bright sunlight was blocked by the black veil.

'As expected, a large amount of shadow force is needed this time too.' Jin thought, feeling tense due to the memory of the previous tomb where he had fought Luntia with difficulty while running low on shadow force.

He may also encounter a formidable opponent with no shadow force left. Above all, there was a high probability that a living member of the old Runcandel may exist within the sword. 

That person could attack Jin like the guardians of the previous tombs, and if they were one of ten great knights, they couldn't be weaker than Luntia.

'A living member of the old Runcandel...'

It was possible because subspace is a 'dead world', or because they are beings like dragons or demons with a lifespan of thousands of years. It is because Jin didn't know that all of the Ten great Knights are human.

'Or it could be sealed. Like Elona Zipfel.'

Shadow force continued to spread endlessly, sometimes pouring into the sword and being absorbed. Those watching could not even fathom the size of the shadow force that Jin was handling.

'It feels like the shadow force release of Murakan in his prime. That idiot must have finally found his strength, but he couldn't even help Jin because he was doing Misha's job...… we would be reassured if he was here at times like this.'

Except for Jin, the other members of the group were rejected by the tomb in the Kaldran Snowfields. Although they had fought against the guardian Sarah together in the past, Cuicantelle hoped that they could still join Jin this time.

Time passed by like this.

'Shadow force is being injected like crazy, but I don't feel any signs of change from the sword...'

As it was before on the Kaldran Snowfield, the sword of Hedo remained motionless, without emitting any radiance or forming any door.

"Jin, does something feel different from last time? Could the redhead have brought incorrect information?"

Sandra looked at Valeria suspiciously.

Valeria remained silent, watching Jin and the sword.

"If we fail like this, do we have to investigate how to open the door of the sword again through the record magic? Like the location conditions."

"I think redhead is a complete sham, Hedo. It's strange that the old Runcandel is still alive inside the sword in the first place."

"I am also suspicious."

"Uh, but if everything the redhead said is true and the door suddenly opens. What if that old Runcandel attacks Jin? Just like in the Kaldran snowfield."

"Isn't the problem that the lady should be worried about if the old Runcandel becomes an ally of the 12th flagbearer?"

"I hope that will happen, Hedo. That would be a good thing for Jin. How could I worry about that?"

"I have lost my roots and family to you guys, and have been hunted for a long time."

Valeria spoke in a low voice, not even looking at Sandra.

"What did the redhead say?"

"It means to shut up and focus on your work because I feel like tearing you to death. We all gathered here to work anyway."

Valeria still didn't look at Sandra, but the faint bloodlust in her low voice made Sandra blink.

And then, just as Sandra was about to scream, Hedo's sword suddenly began to vibrate and trigger its first change.

"Is the subspace about to open?"

"Fortunately, it doesn't seem like any problem will occur..."

Cuicantelle interrupted. It was because of Jin's expression.

"Jin, are you okay?"

"Honey!?"

Jin's face, which had been expressionless, was now full of confusion.

The reason for this was simple.

'The Tower Keeper's sword seems like it's about to break free...!'

As someone who was directly injecting shadow force, Jin was more aware of the changes occurring in the sword than anyone else.

And based on his intuition, it seemed that Hedo's sword had chosen to 'move' instead of opening a gate, just like before.

Before three seconds had passed, Jin was sure that the sword was about to be launched somewhere.

Although he tried to stop the flow of shadow force into the sword, it had already gained enough momentum to move.

Zzzzap! Swoosh!

Like a mana cannon being fired. The sword suddenly shot up into the sky, tearing through the black veil that covered it and shooting straight up like Runcandel's light speed thrust.

The speed at which the sword shot up distorted space, causing everyone on the island to look up at the sky.

"Oh, Hedo's sword just shot up like a firework...!"

Hedo jumped up, unable to hold onto his own sword, and landed on the ground with a bewildered expression.

Meanwhile, the sword had already changed direction and was flying off into the distance.

"Catch it!"

Cuicantelle shouted. However, the sword that had risen in a straight line had already turned and was flying somewhere.

Jin's shadow force absorbed by the sword even left long traces in the sky like the tail of a comet. In the blink of an eye, the sword was more than 500m away from them.

Intuitively, Jin assumed that the sword was flying in search of a space to open up its subspace.

If so, the opening of the tomb was a success, but it was not a very good situation. It means that there is no means to pursue that sword immediately.

The red owl was put on standby in the nameless location, while Mort was injured and even if they were both present, it would be difficult to chase after the sword in that state. The sword was not moving through space, but rather pure high-speed flight, faster than anyone had ever seen.

"Miss Cuicantelle!" Jin called her. Because he has to chase the sword.

"Understood!"

Cuicantelle quickly manifested the power of time and transformed into her true form. But the sword had already flown off into the distance, narrowly avoiding the effects of her time powers.

Those who had gathered in perfect order climbed onto Cuicantelle's back.

Cuicantelle immediately started flying at full speed, but it was impossible to catch up with the sword.

[I'll follow the traces of the shadow force left by the sword!]

Fortunately, Hedo's sword moved forward leaving a long trace of shadow force in sky.

It had already flown so far away that it was no longer visible, but if they followed the traces, they could still reach the sword's destination.

The problem was the fact that the destination was unknown and the sword's flight was prolonged.

'The situation has completely exceeded our expectations. We thought that if there were any problems with opening the tomb, it would be a battle against the tomb's guardian, not chasing after a flying sword like this!' Cuicantelle thought to herself.

Moreover, the sword had flown through the sky for such a long time, leaving so many traces of its shadow force. This meant that any other forces could easily discover what was happening, not just Tikan.

If all forces such as the Garden of Swords, Zipfel, Kinzelo, and the Imperial Family were to gather at the sword's destination, it could create a major problem.

'The temporary alliance may hesitate to act, but not the Garden of Swords...!'

There could be a situation where all the great forces gather in Temar's 6th tomb.

Hedo's murderous gaze fell on Jin's back.

"Looks like it's a completely unexpected problem for you too. If I lose my sword due to this situation, it won't be much fun. 12th flagbearer...."

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