Chapter 369

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'Thanks to the shadow force armor, it's much easier to erase my presence.'

Once again, the martial artists were slow to react to Jin's movements.

Part of it was due to Jin's incredibly fast speed, but reading the weakened presence because of shadow force was just as difficult as sensing the shadow behind one's back.

Shahk...!

Amidst the blades of the Vermont martial artists dyed with aura and lit up the surrounding, once again, the blood spurted. The blood droplets were mixed with particles of shadow force, creating a murky color.

'It was shallow.'

Unlike the first time, Jin wasn't able to kill with a single strike. Bradamante left a long and dark trail in the air, skimming the neck vein of the Vermont's martial artists.

However, that trail lacked any elements that could be called 'flow' or 'sound.'

In other words, there was no sense of the weight that naturally spread when swinging a heavy object, or the sharp sound that resounded when a blade cut through the air.

There was only a faint energy lingering around the wound, like a ghost passing by.

Actually, the martial artists mistook the entity that attacked them as a ghost.

The overwhelming speed of the assault, combined with the fact that they couldn't even see the movement of the blades, made it impossible for them to confirm Jin's appearance in the midst of their chaos.

Even in the current bright surroundings due to the shadow force, they couldn't perceive Jin's presence, which wasn't an unreasonable feeling.

Where is he? Where did he hide?

The same thought echoed in the minds of Vermont's martial artists.

At the same time, they all felt a sense of their pride as martial artists crumbling.

Being attacked, losing a member in a single attack, almost losing another in the immediate follow-up attack.

The fact that they couldn't immediately identify the attacker's position led to a feeling of self-disgust.

'What is this...! It's not Jin Runcandel, but the Nameless best assassin. No, does it mean he's the Nameless King?"

For them, an attack of this level was something only the Nameless King could do.

The problem was that it wasn't the Nameless King, but Jin, who had minimized his presence using shadow force.

"Stick together in pairs!"

One of the Vermont martial artists shouted loudly, clenching his lower abdomen with force. He was the leader of the martial artists gathered here.

Following the leader's command, everyone quickly paired up, guarding both directions.

Although they were struck down with a single strike, they were still among the very best within Vermont, a formidable force.

'They're the Imperial Guard under the imperial family.'

Jin observed their attire, hidden in the darkness of the forest.

The golden insignias on their shoulders shone like symbols of the Imperial Guard. Their blood-stained pristine coats and Jin's shadow force armor were contrasted with each other.

The leader stood amidst the guards and scanned the darkness of the forest. He was searching for Jin.

Cold sweat was already trickling down his chin. The leader was on the verge of panting due to extreme tension and the heightened senses pushed to their limits.

Indeed, he was a figure befitting the title of leader of the Imperial Guard division.

"Come out...!"

The leader aimed his sword at the darkness where Jin was hiding. His subordinates had no inkling of Jin's presence on the other side.

In the darkness, Jin moved his steps deliberately.

The members of the Imperial Guard who caught sight of Jin's form couldn't help but be taken aback. With Multa runes, shadow force armor, and the darkness, Jin truly appeared like a shape formed by the very shadows.

"I am Rick Helter, Commander of the 5th Imperial Guard division of the Great Vermont Empire. State your name."

"Seems like you're scared, judging by your need to state my affiliation."

"...We are here under the command of His Majesty the Emperor to carry out our mission. Whoever you are, I advise you not to foolishly interfere with the Imperial Guards, which would turn the entire empire against you."

"Are you joking?"

"We came to meet Jin Runcandel."

Internally, Jin couldn't help but smile.

"It has been a long time since the fact that I am the Contractor of Shadows was revealed to the world, yet the Empire's top intelligence unit, which also serves as the Imperial Guard, was still unaware, it seems."

Rick and his subordinates' pupils dilated.

Due to excessive tension, they had failed to recognize what kind of power was covering the sword swinging between them and the armor the man in front of them was wearing.

They had only thought that the assassin painted the sword black to blend into the shadows.

A period of silence ensued.

During this time, the fearful gazes of Rick Helter and his subordinates transformed into killing intent. There was no trembling due to shame or fear, no sign of their blades wavering, just a bloodlust.

They were also part of the Imperial Guard.

Although they had just shown confusion and a lack of skill, when the objective became clear, they were humans who never retreated.

When they were first attacked by Jin, they weren't afraid of the 'unknown enemy' itself. They were only afraid of the possibility of being defeated by a third party and failing to fulfill the Emperor's orders.

"What was your plan in meeting me? Were you planning to kill me? Or were you going to propose negotiation?"

If they encountered Jin Runcandel, the top priority of the Imperial Guard was to capture him alive.

And Rick realized this immediately. It was simply impossible to capture him alive with just these six members, let alone sixty members of the Imperial Guard.

'No, even if there were sixty members of the Imperial Guard, it would still be impossible to capture him.'

With a grunt, Rick clenched his teeth.

"...Scatter!"

His subordinates swiftly surrounded Jin.

Rick pushed forward with all his might, swinging his scimitar, and simultaneously, the encirclement tightened as blades flew from all directions.

Naturally, the Imperial Guard expected Jin to evade the attacks. They assumed he would dodge a few and deflect a couple while launching a counterattack.

However, Jin stood firm, not avoiding their blades.

Clang, clang!

There were no gaps in the shadow force armor. Yet Rick and his subordinates instinctively struck at the points where regular armor might have openings, but what came back was the futile sound of blades bouncing off.

Jin even grabbed a blade that had come at him from the left with his hand.

Crunch, scrape—the blade trying to escape scratched against the gauntlet. Jin pulled it closer, and the member of the Imperial Guard, who hadn't released his weapon in time, was pulled in defenseless.

Thud!

Bradamante pierced through his chest.

'Four.'

The spot where the scimitar struck the shadow force armor left a mark. The part of Rick Helter's scimitar that made contact had cut deeply, barely grazing the flesh.

However, like the super speed regeneration of top-tier demonic creatures, the injured areas rapidly healed. The shadow force emanating from Jin was restoring the armor.

While their resolve hadn't wavered, it was undeniable that as members of the Imperial Guard, they were growing weary at this point.

"Aaargh!"

"Ugh!"

The members of the Imperial Guard clenched their eyes shut and let out groans of pain.

Flash cannon.

Chenmi's ancient light magic had an even more dramatic effect in the darkness. Especially at a moment like this, where they were overwhelming the opponent.

Swish!

Once again, blood arced through the air.

The brief moment often described as "in the blink of an eye" was a sufficient opening to determine the victory and defeat among martial artists who have reached the higher peaks.

So, after closing your eyes you either require an extraordinary stroke of luck or considerable skill surviving against Jin.

This time, two were struck down simultaneously. Those facing the flash cannon were the ones who suffered.

'Two.'

Rick and his sole subordinate. They were the only ones left now.

They kept their distance from Jin, racking their brains desperately to find a way to salvage the situation.

Reaching a conclusion wasn't difficult.

However, accepting this reality wasn't easy. It wasn't easy to admit that they were so utterly powerless, unable to do anything, and had to abandon their lives as human beings.

It wasn't that the Imperial Guard was weak. They were individuals who could easily be called the strongest in the world of martial artists.

However, it was the misfortune of the Imperial Guard that Jin had started standing on an entirely different realm from ordinary strong individuals.

Even if they had initially unleashed the Imperial Guard's destructive sword techniques without regard for the damage to the forest, it might have led to a fight that appeared less futile.

But now, they had no choice left.

Escape was impossible, victory in battle was impossible.

They had never been trained to beg for their lives like dogs, and Jin and they had met with the intention of killing each other from the start.

If there was one thing that was fair to everyone in the world of martial artists, it was the attitude of accepting defeat and death.

Suddenly, Rick and his subordinate turned around. Despite the situation not allowing them to expose their backs.

"Your Majesty, please forgive the unworthy who failed to complete their mission and chose to embrace death first."

As their final act, they had turned to face where the Vermont Emperor was.

When Rick and his subordinate had turned their backs, Jin had considered killing them rather than sparing them. It would have been easier to finish them off than to even bother to sneeze.

"If possible, after death, I would like to continue serving Your Majesty and enjoying the honor."

However, he had decided to show them respect. It wasn't difficult to show that level of mercy to an opponent against whom he didn't hold personal grudges.

'Is the Vermont Emperor's leadership remarkable, or is the Imperial family's brainwashing ability exceptional? They are truly loyal.'

Rick and his subordinate turned back again and straightened their postures.

"Thank you, Jin Runcandel. Thanks to you, I could bid my farewell to Your Majesty as a member of the Imperial Guard."

"Is it over?"

Rick nodded his head. He even managed a displeased smile, but Jin paid it no mind and aimed Bradamante towards him.

Clang!

Jin's and the Imperial Guard's blades clashed.

While Rick's lone remaining subordinate faced a relentless onslaught of twelve strikes, he couldn't even graze Jin's armor and met his end.

Commander Rick, while certainly employing swordsmanship a few notches above his subordinates, was still not on par with Jin.

"Urgh, ugh...!"

After the twelfth strike, Rick was left panting, covered in wounds all over his body. Many of these wounds were fatal, and he was bleeding heavily, close to succumbing to death just by staying still.

Thud!

In the end, Rick dropped to one knee. With his body already full of injuries, he panted heavily. He couldn't continue fighting.

Jin looked down on him with indifferent eyes.

"No more words left to say, I suppose."

Rick didn't respond, trembling. Jin couldn't discern whether Rick's trembling was due to feeling cold from the bleeding or due to newfound fear of death as he approached the end.

Swoosh...

Instead, right after Jin bent down to end Rick's life, he realized why Rick had been trembling.

Something ominous was beginning to happen within Rick's body.

'Blood... is drawing a magic circle...!'

Blood flowing out from Rick was forming a peculiar magic circle on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, not only Rick but also the blood of the fallen Imperial Guard members was drawing identical magic circles on the ground.

"Jin, this is..."

Valeria, who sensed something strange, rushed to Jin's side and spoke.

"While not certain, it's a kind of magic circle that transforms the body."