Chapter 434

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The Tona Brothers were fishing on a small uninhabited island near Tikan.

Their weapons were concealed on a wooden boat, and they were disguised by wearing straw hats and making them look just like ordinary fishermen.

"When can we meet the youngest?" Heytona asked.

The moment Heytona spoke, a fish took the bait.

Splash, splash.

As the fishing rod quivered, Daytona quickly pulled it up.

Daytona thought it was a big catch after seeing the big arc drawn by sea water in the air and fishing line tension, but what he caught was a small fish.

The Tona brothers lost their appetites as they looked at the small fish.

"It seems that the youngest has become a very big person, it has become difficult for people like us to meet him casually."

Daytona carefully removed the hook and gently released the fish back into the sea.

Naturally, that small fish couldn't become the main character of this vast ocean.

It was just a tiny creature among all the predators in the sea, including whales and sharks. No matter how fiercely it struggled, it would be challenging for it to become the ruler of the sea.

Somehow the Tona Brothers seemed to see themselves in the small fish that was swimming away.

Lately, the two of them had been feeling a deeper sense of crisis. 

They received even less attention within the clan, and they hadn't received any expectations from Chiron and Rosa either.

The youngest at least showed some interest in them, so they wanted to get a little closer to him.

Their nanny Emma told them to use the strength of Jin to secure a position within the clan or seek help for their survival, but they just want to talk to him without any particular reason.

In other words, it's an unconscious desire to seek encouragement and comfort from the object of admiration.

However, the Tona Brothers didn't know what that feeling was. No one had ever told them that sometimes humans can naturally feel such emotions when they are tired and having a hard time.

Because they were born and raised in Runcandel.

"That's true. He is not someone we can meet without a special reason. But the problem will occur after we meet him. What we gonna say when he asks why we came. It would be pathetic to say that we came because we missed you, right?"

"That's true."

"Ah, if we hadn't been so ignorant when we were young, maybe the youngest would have thought a bit more highly of us."

"We were truly fearless back then."

Their gaze turned towards the city of Tikan beyond the fishing rod. Tikan is rising tall above the blue sea.

The island that stands tall like a tower, is the brilliant achievement of the youngest.

They thought it might be more meaningful to become part of that island rather than Runcandel. After all, it seemed unlikely they could gain much value from the Garden of Swords.

"...Let's just go back. We will only disappoint him more if we meet him like this. He is a busy guy, so we can't bother him just because we want to meet him."

"Yeah. It's better to catch and kill Zipfel zealots or inspect the assigned territory."

"Ha..."

An incident occurred when the brothers were sighing deeply as they retracted the fishing rods.

"What, what!"

"Insane!"

The Tona Brothers jumped up and looked at a small ship. That ship is doing something different from several other fishing boats in the waters near Tikan.

The ship is filled with martial artists, not fishermen.

There were twenty of them standing on the deck.

The ship was very close to Tikan, and the martial artists didn't hesitate to draw their swords and began firing sword energy towards the free city.

Swoosh, Boom, Bam...!

The reinforced outer wall, strengthened by magic, was suddenly sliced apart by the pouring sword energy like tofu.

"Who the hell are they!?"

They couldn't quickly identify their affiliation.

However, as soon as the terrorist attack began, the brothers were immediately certain that they were facing a group of extremely talented people.

At least 7- to 9-star, possibly even higher.

Who sent such skilled individuals? Are they mercenaries? There weren't many large mercenary groups like this. Is it Zipfel? Or the Imperial family?

Regardless of who sent them, can we win if we fight them?

No, we can't. Strictly speaking, we have no reason to fight them. We might get involved in something unnecessary. After all, aren't Jin's companions in Tikan?

All sorts of thoughts ran through the Tona brothers' minds in an instant.

Naturally, the rational choice would be to stay put or retreat, but the Tona Brothers shouted in unison:

"Let's go!!"

The fact that they could come just to see the youngest meant that they could also fight for him. They didn't care about profit or loss.

They used the sword wind to propel their boat. The distance was short, so the Tona brothers could quickly reach the outer wall of Tikan.

They couldn't win in a fight, and they had already concluded that before arriving, but Tona brothers started laughing as they approached the battlefield.

The people of the world didn't give them the nickname "Sons of Hell" for nothing.

"Khehe. Stop, you bastards. Kehe, no. Just die!"

Daytona shouted. His eyes flickered while swinging his greatsword. 

The blade was aimed at the assassins who were attempting to enter Tikan.

Huuung! Fwoosh!

The released sword energy from his greatsword cut through the air with a mighty roar. At the same time, Haytona also extended his chain sword.

The Tona brothers were currently at the 7-star, but the blessed body of Runcandel enhanced their sword energy, making it no less potent than the swords of those who had achieved even higher enlightenment.

Five of the assassins managed to deflect the sword energy. The remaining fifteen had already entered Tikan and engaged in battle with Jin's comrades inside.

"Die!"

Daytona and Haytona continued to spew sword energy.

Four out of the five assassins hesitated for a moment due to their momentum. Blocking such powerful sword techniques on the unstable ship required incredible skill in itself.

However, the four assassins did not need to block the Tona brothers' sword energy.

The fifth person blocked it perfectly. He was the captain among the five remaining assassins outside the island.

The assassins carried ordinary longswords, perhaps to conceal their affiliations.

"This wasn't in the intel."

"What should we do?"

The captain and the assassins spoke.

They looked at the boldly appearing Tona brothers, but they only showed a dull reaction. As if small fry like them pose no threat. As if they can decide when to spare or kill the Tona brothers.

That was driving the Tona brothers crazy.

"What should you do? Did you guys just discuss what to do with the two of us?"

"Hahaha, I am going crazy. To think that you are so relaxed with two flagbearer of Runcandel in front of you. And the place you attacked is the base of the 12th flagbearer."

The Tona brothers fired sword energy once more, but this time the captain scattered it without difficulty.

"Daytona Runcandel and Haytona Runcandel. I heard you guys are stupid, but I didn't know it was this bad."

The captain shakes his head.

"What?"

"Didn't you feel it from the beginning? You won't stand a chance against me even if you die and come back to life."

The Tona brothers could not deny that.

"Oh, I got it. But why is that?"

"It seems like you don't value your lives much. Even if you rush at me and die here, do you think the 12th flagbearer will appreciate it later?"

"Puh-huh, you mean you are showing us mercy and we should quietly retreat?"

"That's right."

"Unfortunately, someone recently reminded us that facing stronger opponents is a virtue of Runcandel. We can't afford to back down now."

The Tona Brothers leaped simultaneously, and the chunk of the boat broke off due to their force. 

They landed on the ship where the assassins were, and the Tona brothers' eyes glowed with killing intent.

"I won't stop you if you insist on throwing away the chance to survive."

"It's been a while since we clashed our swords with those who aren't intimidated by the name Runcandel."

"Come on in, heh! No, I'm coming in!"

Haytona and Daytona charged, but the captain waved his single sword and pushed the brothers back.

"I'll stay outside. I'll finish this as quickly as possible and join you inside, so you guys should go join the others."

The assassins scattered. The Tona Brothers didn't try to stop the assassins from entering Tikan. To be precise, they couldn't.

They had no chance of victory with just the captain remaining on the ship.

'He overwhelmed us just by standing there... It is clear that these assassins are hired by the 2nd flagbearer or elder council. Where the hell did they come from?'

'There are a few more assassins of his level inside Tikan. We need to reduce their numbers by even one if we can, but that seems difficult given the captain's skill…'

The result that the Tona Brothers were hoping for was clear: just hang in there.

'The youngest must have received the news of Tikan being attacked by now. We just need to hold on until then. He will be soon here in no time."

Of course, there was a possibility that the Jin's comrades inside Tikan could defeat the assassin and come to support them.

However, that possibility was not very high.

There were too many top-tier assassins heading inside, and additional assassins could infiltrate through different routes. So, it was only natural.

A thunderous noise echoed as the swords of the Tona Brothers clashed with the captain's sword.

The Tona Brothers gritted their teeth with every strike they received, while the captain seemed calm, as if playing with a toy.

"Perhaps you are expecting the 12th flagbearer or other factions to come and support you."

The captain spoke while pointing at the sky in the midst of the fierce battle. The number of clouds in the sky was strangely abundant.

"You should know that the transfer gate can't be used when it's snowing or raining."

Kuurrrk-! Hoodook!

As the captain finished speaking, a lightning struck from the sky, and heavy raindrops began to pour down.

"How... could it be? Did you control the weather?"

Haytona asked while gritting his teeth, and the captain shrugged his shoulders.

"You could say it's observation, prediction, and experience. This storm will last for at least two more days. After that time, you and Tikan won't exist in this world..."

Boooong-!

A sudden cry was heard amidst the sounds of the pouring rain and the howling wind, and the desperate voice of Tona Brothers. 

It was the cry of the spiritual beast, Snow toad, Mort.