“We are finally making progress.”
King Lecross smiled faintly, covering up the thick pile of documents. He looked delighted that the slow conference was finally coming to an end.
“The magic tower will be in charge of creating the mana network to exchange information about the White Blood Religion and Eden.”
“Are those lazybones from the magic tower really doing such annoying work?”
Chamber’s eyes widened because she didn’t expect them to do so.
“Yes. The tower’s master mentioned that he would take care of it in return for being unable to participate in the conference.”
“Now that you mention it, why are they absent this time?”
She tilted her head while looking at King Lecross.
“How come you only got around to asking that question now? What have you been doing?”
Ogram laughed bitterly at Chamber.
“I wasn’t really interested in the others. I only came to see the mister.”
Chamber smiled cheerfully, pointing at Glenn.
“I wanted to see how much stronger he got, and he didn’t betray my expectations.”
She moistened her red lips with her tongue.
“So why are those magic tower guys absent?”
“They…”
“Hmm?”
As King Lecross was about to answer her question, Glenn’s eyes suddenly widened while he was looking over the documents, and he turned his head towards the window.
“My lord?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh shit!”
While Sheryl and Roenn tilted their heads at Glenn’s reaction, Derus, Chamber, Ogram, and King Lecross turned their heads in the same direction Glenn was looking.
“That scum!”
Glenn destroyed the window of the conference room and ran outside. The other heads of the Six Kings hurriedly followed him.
Whap!
Their eyes grew distorted upon finding the light and darkness falling towards the arena from afar.
“Light and darkness! Is it the Fallen’s doing?!”
“It’s too far away! We will be too late!”
Ogram ground his teeth, and King Lecross bit his lip.
“They are interfering with the coordinates. I can’t teleport.”
Chamber furrowed her brow after finishing her calculation.
“I’m going to shoot it down from here.”
She pointed her staff at the falling light and darkness, and Glenn raised his hand to stop her.
“Mister?”
“Wait.”
Glenn’s cold eyes were staring at the falling light and darkness. Even before they had time to breathe in once, a swordsman—hair glowing golden in the evening glow—jumped up between the light and darkness.
“That boy is your grandson, geezer!”
Ogram narrowed his eyes while watching Raon fly toward the Fallen’s mana.
“Did you really go senile? There’s no way that kid can remove the Fallen’s magic!”
“I’m also against this. It’s still impossible for him.”
“I also believe we should deal with it first.”
Chamber and King Lecross also shook their heads in disagreement. Derus was silently staring at Raon without saying anything.
“Raon has witnessed the Fallen’s power from behind me.”
Glenn slowly lowered his hand to reassure them. He watched Raon’s flight with a faint smile on his face.
“And he wouldn't act for no reason.”
* * *
“Kuh!”
Raon bit his lips tightly. He used his full power while smacking the light and darkness with Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem, but he was still getting pushed back.
The mana wasn’t that big, but his hands were trembling as if he’d punched a huge lump of metal with his bare fists. It was such a powerful rebound.
‘I won’t be able to destroy it at this rate.’
His plan required him to blow up more than half of the light and darkness in front of him, but it was more powerful than he thought.
At the rate he was going, the light and darkness would merge into one and Chaos would explode, killing everyone in the arena.
‘I wanted to keep it hidden, but it can’t be helped.’
Raon fixed his grip on the Blade of Requiem and exploded the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier’s energies.
‘I’m counting on you.’
Whir!
The powerful sword resonance burst out from the Blade of Requiem and covered the sky. It almost looked like the blade was answering his call.
Whap!
Raon turned his body mid-air to scatter the heat and coldness at the same time.
The two energies spread out like a fountain and turned into hundreds of flower petals fluttering into the sky.
He was using the Flame Spirit by utilizing the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s heat and Glacier’s coldness at the same time.
‘Kuh…’
Raon endured the intense pain in his mana circuits to slash until the end. The red and blue shards of astral energy spread under the evening glow, covering the entire sky.
That’s not enough.
Wrath snorted while looking at the Flame Spirit that he’d unleashed towards the light and darkness.
Even the King of Essence recognizes that halfling’s abilities as a magician. Even though Chaos isn’t complete yet, his power isn’t something you can deal with… Hmm?
Despite his confident declaration, the Flame Spirit’s flower petals started to chip away at the Fallen’s monstrous light and darkness.
Creak!
A large amount of light and darkness got torn apart—as if a carving knife were cutting through a piece of wood.
H-how…?
‘Did you already forget about it when you got so angry back then?’
Raon pointed at the Blade of Requiem’s blade. The golden ghastly energy had carved letters on the red blade.
The Magic Forcefield!
‘It’s the Ghastly Flow of Mana.’
The Ghastly Flow of Mana was a unique trait for the Blade of Requiem that he had obtained from destroying the fourth apostle’s black sword. It was capable of shoving ghastly energy in between the flow of mana to suppress the magic’s activation.
Even though Fallen’s light and darkness were magic, he couldn’t suppress them because they had already been activated—but obstructing them was still possible.
‘It’s still not enough.’
Although the Flame Spirit had cut off a significant amount of energy, the light and darkness were still approaching one another. It was necessary to confront them directly.
Creak!
Raon clenched the Blade of Requiem’s hilt as hard as he could and gritted his teeth.
‘I need to cut off the flow.’
It wasn’t just the light and darkness that he needed to remove but also their tendency to combine with each other.
‘And in order to achieve that…’
He quickly turned his wrist to unleash the Blizzard Sword Art, which had reached a whole different realm. The Blizzard Sword Art’s special technique, Silent Wind of Silvery Ocean, was unleashed between the light and darkness alongside the Ghastly Flow of Mana.
Rumble!
The light and darkness were on their last legs, but they wouldn’t be defeated easily. Raon’s wrist felt like it was being snapped, but he endured the pain to finish unleashing the strike.
Slice!
The Ghastly Flow of Mana merged into the Blizzard Sword Art and managed to sever the light and darkness in their desperate struggle.
The Fallen’s two aspects started to scatter into the air without merging, but it wasn’t over yet.
Raon smiled coldly at the light and darkness sticking on Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem.
‘I knew it.’
He was wondering about it when he saw the faint traces of light and darkness on Glenn’s sword during his previous battle against the Fallen, and it confirmed his suspicion.
The power wasn’t the only problem with his energy. It was also capable of dealing damage a second time by sticking to the opponent.
The Fallen must’ve devised that adhesion to allow him to attack his enemy, but Raon was about to use that to his advantage.
‘Derus must be watching me right now.’
The transcenders like Glenn and Derus must’ve already noticed the situation and should’ve been watching him. It was necessary to take advantage of the situation in a way they wouldn’t notice.
Raon looked around with a frantic expression on his face.
‘I need to show them that I have nowhere to get rid of this energy.’
He wasn’t simply acting. It was true that there were people everywhere even outside the arena, and the energy was bound to cause casualties no matter where he tried to dispose of it.
‘Which means, there’s only one possibility left for me to deal with it safely.’
Raon looked below him with a cold smile on his face. Since the stage was protected by multiple layers of protective magic, it was the safest place around him.
“Kuh!”
He bit his lips, pretending to endure the pain coming from his waist, and turned around. With an expression that looked like he couldn’t handle the power dwelling in the two swords, he slammed the swords at the arena’s corner—the spot Martio was standing right in front of.
“Argh!”
Martio hurriedly tried to defend himself, but it was already too late. Even though it was reduced in power, there was no way the Fallen’s energy would be easy to deal with.
Zap!
The light and darkness between the swords combined and burst, an extremely small-scale of Chaos aimed towards Martio.
Whaam!
The six protective magics surrounding the arena were destroyed completely, and Martio was sent flying back violently. He slammed into the ground, his arms and legs snapping backward and blood flowing from his eyes and nose.
‘I never thought the day would come where I would see him lying flat on the ground.’
Raon examined Martio’s expression while pretending to falter. Seeing his usually expressionless face distorted from pain and confusion was making all of his pain disappear.
“Kuh, why…?”
Martio narrowed his eyes with a pained expression on his face. The hit was super effective.
“Huff…”
Raon lowered his head at Martio while spitting the blood from his mouth.
“I couldn’t send it anywhere else because there were people everywhere. This location was the safest one since there were barriers around it, and I figured you would be able to take it on.”
He wasn’t bullshitting. The arena was indeed the safest place around him thanks to the protective magics, and the referees were indeed the most powerful people among them.
“I’m sorry.”
He lowered his head once again while suppressing the urge to burst into laughter.
“O-oh, no…”
Martio couldn’t finish his sentence as he closed his eyes. He unfortunately didn’t die, and only fainted from the extreme shock.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
“What happened just now? Why did the Frostfire Sword of Valor just soar into the sky and why did he even attack the referee?”
“I think someone was attacking from the sky.”
“I couldn’t see it too well, but there was a tremendous clash of powers.”
“Does that mean the Frostfire Sword of Valor jumped up in order to stop that attack? That’s really amazing.”
The spectators were unable to comprehend the situation and kept looking around them.
“Someone tried to attack? But was it really necessary to try defending against it?”
“The protective magic should be able to fend off most of the attacks.”
“I know right? The referee ended up fainting for no reason.”
“Maybe he jumped up because he figured he was going to lose the match. That’s so cheap…”
“Wow, people are really insulting him when he just saved your asses.”
The deriding voices from the spectators that kept happening even before the Master division’s matches had started were put to an end by a cold voice.
“If that pretty boy didn’t act up, all of you would’ve been goners, not leaving a single bone behind.”
Chamber was there before anyone knew it and was floating above the stand.
“After all, it was the Fallen’s magic.”
“F-Fallen?”
“The Fallen from Eden?”
“I-impossible, the Fallen was attacking us…”
The spectators’ chins started to tremble upon hearing that the magic falling from the sky was the Fallen’s doing.
They finally realized that they’d just survived a deadly situation thanks to Raon.
* * *
* * *
Whir!
Glenn’s blazing pressure felt like he could tear people’s hearts apart with his gaze. He was standing in front of the stage and was sending his murderous aura towards the people who were laughing at Raon.
“Kuah!”
“Argh…”
“Waah…”
They got crushed by Glenn’s pressure and fainted while foaming from their mouths, their eyes rolling back.
“Frostfire Sword of Valor. That’s a perfect name for him.”
King Lecross smiled gently while watching Raon, who was still standing there while faltering.
“Hmph, he’s a crazy one. However, he’s crazy in a good way.”
Even Ogram burst into laughter. He seemed to admire Raon’s actions despite the fact that he didn’t exactly like him before.
“……”
Derus kept staring at Raon without even giving the smallest attention to the unconscious Martio.
“The Fallen, she said…”
“She’s right! Light and darkness sparked between the evening glow! The Fallen is the only one who uses that magic.”
“Which means… the Frostfire Sword of Valor…”
“Yes. He let the Azure Razor Sword stab his waist and jumped up in order to save everyone.”
“Everyone here would’ve died if it weren’t for him.”
“It’s amazing that he managed to stop it, but Sir Raon was also the only person among all of us who noticed that attack.”
“Is that Raon Zieghart’s true nature…?”
The spectators finally realized the situation and clenched their fists while feeling admiration and appreciation towards Raon. Their lips were trembling in excitement.
Raon breathed out roughly and walked up to Martio before turning his head.
“Healers!”
The dumbfounded healers ran up to him and started examining Martio’s condition upon hearing his call.
“He has broken bones and a severe internal injury, but his life is not in danger! Bring him to the medical facility!”
“How about you, Sir Raon? It looks like you are severely injured around your waist.”
One of the healers walked up to him, trying to bring him with them.
“I’m fine.”
Raon shook his head and turned around. Borini Kitten was staring at him with astonished eyes.
“The match isn’t over yet.”
Although he was severely injured around his waist and his mana circuits felt extremely painful, he couldn’t give up on the match. He wanted to win the match and keep fighting the next day in order to improve the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art’s proficiencies.
“Huh…”
“He’s worrying about others despite his condition…”
“Is he planning to keep fighting in that state?”
“Valor… I’ve seen many warriors with honorable names, but I’ve never seen anyone like him.”
“The Frostfire Sword of Valor. That name and the rumors weren’t exaggerated at all…”
The spectators gasped in admiration for Raon’s willpower even though he was younger than them.
“Raon! Raon! Raon!”
“Frostfire Sword of Valor! Frostfire Sword of Valor!”
“Woaaah!”
“I’m from Owen, but I’m definitely going to root for you for the rest of my life!”
The spectators filling the arena started shouting Raon’s name. The way they kept yelling Raon’s name gave the impression that they were in Zieghart instead of the Owen Kingdom.
‘How about Derus…?’
Raon looked at Derus while pretending to look around the spectators. Derus wasn’t showing any emotion at all, his face as blank as a piece of paper.
‘I like his face.’
Other people would think that it was an expression of confusion, but he was actually suppressing his anger. Raon couldn’t stop himself from smiling upon realizing that he was the one who turned his expression like that.
‘Let’s get started again.’
Since he managed to see Derus’s angry face, it was time to finish the match.
Raon caught his breath and, just as he was about to enter the arena, Glenn stopped him on the stairs.
“You are severely injured.”
Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at the laceration on Raon’s waist and his trembling hands. Even though Heavenly Tremor was at stake, he stopped Raon without the slightest hesitation.
“You don’t need to fight any further.”
“He’s right. You should stop now.”
Chamber descended from the sky and stood next to Glenn.
“No one will blame you for stopping now.”
She shook her head, telling him to stop.
“I’m fine.”
Raon smiled faintly and shook his head.
“I’m here under Zieghart’s name. I can’t be defeated by such a small incident.”
He’d been following Glenn’s back, the back of a man who was capable of overpowering the Fallen and the White Blood Religion’s leader on his own. Regardless of his condition and his swordsmanship’s proficiency, he didn’t really want to step back yet.
“I see.”
Glenn stared into Raon’s eyes before he nodded and stepped away.
“Thank you.”
Raon nodded at Glenn and Chamber before entering the stage once again.
“You…”
Borini Kitten bit his lip tightly while holding the sword that was still smeared with Raon’s blood.
‘I’m such an idiot!’
While he was solely focused on the fight on hand, Raon was watching much further away.
While he was thrusting his sword, Raon didn’t even counterattack, instead enduring it in order to stop an enemy ambush.
Once he realized that he was being a hindrance when he should’ve been helping him, his shame became unbearable.
Blood was still dripping from Raon’s waist, his face was pale, and his grip seemed to be weakened.
Even though he could faint at any time, he returned to the arena to finish the match.
He’d earned his honorable name at such a young age for a good reason.
The emotion Borini Kitten felt towards Raon couldn’t be described as admiration anymore. It was reverence that was welling up in his heart.
“Swordsman Raon.”
Borini Kitten sighed deeply before looking at Raon.
“I lost this match. I wouldn’t have managed to win against you even if we continued that fight. I’m thoroughly defeated both in terms of might and warrior’s spirit.”
He hung his head. He must’ve been feeling that way from the bottom of his heart.
“I’m going to forfeit the matc—”
“Are you sure about that?”
Raon’s voice was colder than ever.
“Regardless of the situation, I returned to the stage in order to fight against you. Does your knighthood truly exist if you can disregard your opponent and forfeit the match?”
“That’s…”
“I was simply faster to notice and acted accordingly. I’m sure you’ve done the same if you noticed it before me. Am I wrong?”
“Hmm…”
Borini Kitten was unable to respond right away. Acting when push came to shove was an entirely different story from talking about it.
“Our match isn’t over yet.”
As if the time had reverted to before the Fallen’s magic assaulted them, Raon held Heavenly Drive with both hands and mustered every last bit of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
“Come at me.”
“Haa…”
Borini Kitten sighed deeply towards the sky. He stared at the dim sky for a while before he lowered his gaze. The wavering in his eyes had subsided. He must’ve realized something.
“I almost made another mistake. Thank you for teaching me.”
He bowed politely.
“I’ll save my gratitude for later. I shall defeat you using the best of my abilities for now.”
The azure astral energy bursting out around him was as clear as the ocean. He raised his sword above his head before pulling it behind his back. The pressure surrounding him was even sharper than before the Fallen’s magic assault as he took a step forward.
“That’s perfect.”
Raon smiled in satisfaction while feeling Borini Kitten’s pressure, which was making his hair stand on end.
‘Awesome.’
Stopping the Fallen’s magic and taking his revenge against Martio was a whole different story from resuming his fight in order to get stronger. Raon had no intention of missing anything.
You are seriously even greedier than Greed…
Wrath shook his head in irritation.
‘I need to be greedy because I’m not even at the starting line yet.’
Raon smiled and condensed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s heat on his blade. The astral energy became sharply refined instead of getting thicker and burst out like embers.
“The technique I’m about to use is the Razor Blood Sword Art’s special technique, Blood Star’s Ultimate Slash.”
Despite telling the name of his technique, his frightening pressure felt like he was facing an archenemy that he needed to kill at all costs.
“As for me, I’ll be using a technique called Crimson Slash.”
The Crimson Slash was the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s special technique. Raon was planning to end the match with the Crimson Slash that had gotten even stronger thanks to the proficiency he’d gained with the Sharp Sword and Straight Sword.
“Crimson Slash, that’s a nice name.”
Borini Kitten nodded before he narrowed his eyes. The pressure spreading from him became even sharper. He was giving off the same feeling as Raon’s first encounter with King Lecross, where Raon felt like his entire body was getting stabbed by blades.
Whir!
Raon also raised his sword around his waist and increased his output to the maximum. He wasn’t even feeling the pain in his body thanks to the extreme focus he had.
Pssh.
While they were gritting their teeth to endure each other’s pressures, the edge of the arena that was affected by the Fallen’s attack ended up collapsing.
Thud!
Borini Kitten made the first move. He kicked the ground to advance and thrust his sword. The magnificent light burst from the tip of the sword like a spearhead to coil around Raon’s body.
Thud!
Raon stomped the ground and raised Heavenly Drive above his head. The crimson flame bursting from the silver-white blade was intense and profound at the same time.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Hundred Flames.
Crimson Slash.
The blade of raging fire bore its fangs to severe the sun setting under the western mountain and the blue light at the same time.
