C469
"Kugh!"
Sandra leaned forward and vomited blood.
Bradamante had pierced her clavicle completely, coming out the other side.
A human should have died there.
It was a mortal wound that couldn't be healed unless the healing power of the Holy Queen Lani or Numerus' blood drop was used.
But Jin felt an invisible force pushing back the blade that had pierced Sandra's clavicle.
It wasn't mana, and certainly not aura.
It's like...
Authority/Order.
And it closely resembled the type of authority Jin was familiar with.
An authority often displayed by the Dragon of Olta, the Silver Dragon Quikantel.
The Authority of Time.
As expected, I wasn't wrong from the beginning.
But why is Sandra using the Authority of Time?
It was impossible for Sandra to be the Contractor of Olta.
Because Enya has already been contracted for a long time.
Zipple couldn't kill Enya and steal the contract as they did in Jin's past life.
A God's authority can sometimes be used through various means, like receiving blessings from a deity, being granted the right to serve them, or through other methods, even if the person is not a formal contractor.
However, in such cases, the Authority can only be used at a "low level."
Slash!
Jin swung again the sword that had been pushed back, intending to cut Sandra's throat.
But Bradamante couldn't reach Sandra's throat.
It was because the space near Sandra was strangely distorted.
When he swung his sword in the space, it only caused ripples as if cutting water, and it couldn't inflict damage.
It's just like the day I met Quikantel-nim.
At that time, she also countered my attack in this way.
The Authority to reverse time in an instant and ensure safety during the healing process was an authority that couldn't be considered low level.
Clang, clunk!
The sound of gears moving rapidly grew louder.
The only difference between Quikantel and Sandra was that this noise occurred when using the authority.
Murakan was also acknowledging Sandra's Authority.
He blinked as if he had received a considerable shock.
Vigo and the Guardian Knights were barely suppressing their astonishment.
'I keep seeing variables that are not included in the mission information. Apparently, Sandra Zipple's ability seems to be part of the living golem experiment, but how could a pure-blooded Zipple become a test subject? And on top of that, she's Kelliark's daughter!'
As Runcandel's sixth Flagbearer, Vigo knew about Zipple's experiments with living golems.
As far as he knew, Zipple had never conducted an experiment with living golems using pure blood.
They used zealots, civilians, or mages from lower families as test subjects.
'Does this mean that the results were stable enough to test using pure blood? Or is there some other reason?
In any case, this alone is valuable information.
He couldn't secure Amela, but he could write something meaningful in the report that would be sent to Rosa.
Thanks to Sandra's special powers, Vigo slowly observed the reactions of Jin and Murakan.
He thought that if he stayed a while on the island, he might report even more significant findings.
"Phew, I've hurt myself several times today. I don't like pain. I admit it; I'm a bit deficient when it comes to fighting."
Sandra shrugged as she adjusted her clothes.
"That's quite an unpleasant ability, Sandra Zipple."
"You know, you look much handsomer in person than on the Golden Peng poster. Maybe I should consider dating you instead of fighting."
"Wouldn't it be a good time to activate the magical tower master's staff right now?"
"Shall we have dinner? Or tea?"
Was it because she was so confident that she didn't even feel nervous about the situation, or was it simply a matter of communication and conversational difficulties?
Even when we briefly met in my past life, she only said what she thought.
It took Jin a while to quickly understand Sandra Zipple.
"Hahaha, do you know how I feel right now? I feel like a prince who has come to meet the princess after overcoming the obstacle of the Black Dragon."
Sandra was literally babbling non-stop.
There was no need for her to keep talking to someone with whom she couldn't engage in any conversation.
'I will subdue her and capture her alive if possible.'
Jin reached this conclusion.
It was necessary to find out Sandra's ability.
However, the reason he attached the premise of "if possible" was that capturing Sandra would once again reveal Zipple's living golem experiment to the world, and he could use that information against the other major factions.
Zipple couldn't be so careless.
'So far, they've kept me in the dark since I was a provisional Flagbearer, but they can't let Sandra be captured alive.'
There was a high possibility that strong reinforcements were already nearby, or other means to prevent information leaks, so there was no need to use the magical tower master's staff.
Just like Vermont's Demon Men rusted and disappeared when they reached their limits.
'No matter how bold she acts, she must be so sure because she has something to believe in.'
The ice-type sealing spell he learned from Valeria.
Jin intended to use it to leave evidence of Sandra Zipple.
It might seem difficult to go against the authority of time, but there was nothing wrong with trying.
Bradamante vibrated as he became enveloped in energy and shadow aura.
Sandra also hastily raised her mana and created a protective shield.
The threatening fire-type protective shield shimmered, but that was it.
It was cut in half with a single slash, and as a result, it recoiled, and the attack magic formed in Sandra's hands did not harm Jin.
On the other hand, Jin inflicted more than three severe wounds on Sandra even before 10 seconds had passed.
Including the initial stab in the clavicle, it could be said that Sandra had already been killed by Jin four times.
It's not that Sandra was weak; it's that Jin had become immensely strong.
This was a fact that Vigo and the Guardian Knights, who witnessed the "Declaration of Patriarchy," were already aware of.
Excluding the beastmen who were still in a state of shock, the members of Vermont and Zipple couldn't help but sigh inwardly as they watched the battle between the two.
Murakan alone was already too much, but witnessing the combat prowess of the Twelfth Flagbearer left them in absolute darkness.
And that wasn't all...
"Lord!"
Two people emerged from the broken center of the murky aura.
They were the Proch brothers who had just awakened from the curse.
"Just give the order. Fey and I will massacre them all."
A black dragon flapping its majestic wings, and the Proch brothers from the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps standing beneath it.
And the difference in their class was evident.
Crack!
For some reason, Sandra was regenerating even faster with each wound.
However, Sandra was unable to counterattack and only focused on recovering.
Jin couldn't damage Sandra at all while her recovery reached maximum speed.
Regardless of where he cut her, the wounds would heal before the blade left her body.
It was a strange battle.
For spectators who didn't know him well, it seemed like Jin was unilaterally harassing the weak.
Jin continued to cut Sandra with an expressionless gaze.
The concept of infinite strength did not exist in this world.
Jin believed this and had often disproven those who claimed to possess infinite strength, like Amela, with her amplified murky aura.
"Haha, at this rate, I might actually fall in love with you."
"What?"
It was the first time Jin hesitated and stopped his sword at the unexpected comment.
At that moment, even Jin couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.
It's possible for a human to become this insane without being tainted by Chaos.
Jin responded with a smile.
"Something terrible to say."
"Shall we get married? I heard you're going to marry the lady from the hidden palace, what about me?"
"If you tell me the secret of your high-speed regeneration, I'll consider it."
"Really? It's not a very difficult condition. Do you know the Demon God Orb? With its help, we can imitate the Authority of some gods..."
Boom!
Suddenly, an explosion occurred between Jin and Sandra.
Jin momentarily withdrew his body, and Sandra was unable to react, and in an instant, half of her head disappeared.
It was a spatial explosion.
It was the authority of Kelliark Zipple used by Midor Elnor.
Jin turned his head, and his eyes filled with killing intent.
"Sandra-nim! What the hell are you talking about?"
"Bastard! Do you know what you're doing? Can't you see that I'm interacting with Jin Runcandel? You acted like you were well-mannered before..."
Midor was so dumbfounded that he was left speechless.
He didn't know Sandra would speak about the "Demon God Orb."
Jin was equally amazed.
Judging by Midor's reaction, the Demon God Orb is still a highly classified secret within Zipple.
Of course, it has to be.
They must be extremely cautious when revealing the name to the outside world.
Sandra not only mentioned the name but went on to say:
"Capable of imitating the Authority of some Gods."
It was an unexpected harvest for Jin, but it left Midor and the other Zipples completely stunned.
"Just interfere once more, and I'll kill you for real! Got it? I'll tear off your limbs, chew them into pieces, throw them, and trample on them! Answer me right now, you bastard."
Sandra's voice had transformed from the cheerful nonsense she was spouting a moment ago to something malevolent and sinister.
Even Murakan couldn't help but laugh at her poisonous energy.
'She's crazy...! I can't even imagine how far Sandra will explode things if left alone.'
What to do?
As Midor made his decision, Bradamante traced a sharp trajectory.
"Why would you do this to me, you bastard? Why don't you respond... Ugh!"
Slash!
What Bradamante cut off was Sandra's right hand.
Distraction or lack of concentration.
Sandra had briefly lost the maximum regeneration speed while cursing Midor.
There was no way Jin would overlook that opening.
Unlike before, Sandra's wound didn't heal immediately.
For the first time since the battle began, she suffered a wound.
In a way, her amputated right arm fell to the ground.
Click!
Jin immediately formed an ice seal before her right arm touched the ground.
Immediately, Jin could confirm that Sandra's affected area was healing.
He could observe that Sandra's cut surface wasn't regenerating as if time was reversing like before but healing like normal regeneration.
Now that he had obtained the evidence he needed, there was no reason to continue hesitating.
"Murakan!"
[Yes!]
"Finish them off!"
At Jin's command, Murakan grinned sinisterly.