Rumble!
As Raon and Garona’s powers intensified, the outrageous pressure weighing upon the arena only got stronger.
Five of the protective magics around the arena were destroyed, and the thick floor began to shred, but the two participants didn’t move a single inch. Their feet were rooted in the ground.
“You bastard…”
Garon glared at Raon with his eyes distorted in disbelief.
“What have you even done?”
“What have I done?”
Raon responded while smiling casually.
“You are fighting back right now with your physical strength instead of aura!”
“So what?”
“It’s impossible for your small body to stand against my strength!”
He stomped the ground while letting out an ear-splitting battle cry. He used his over two-meter-tall body to crush Raon from above.
“Hmm…”
Raon silently groaned and focused his strength on his lower body.
‘Indeed, I’ve never experienced such a powerful strength before.’
Although Garona was simply pushing him with sheer strength without even using any martial arts, Raon felt like his bones were getting crushed. It almost felt like he was fighting an ogre instead of a human being.
“You should give up already.”
Ferocity burst from Garona’s eyes, and he started pushing down even more powerfully.
The rumor about him tearing a drake’s head off with bare hands must’ve been true since the stage started to collapse and Raon’s feet started to sink into it.
“If you refuse to give up, you will be crushed before even having a chance to swing your stick.”
“Is this your full power?”
“What?”
“It would be rather disappointing if this is all you’ve got.”
Raon didn’t stop smiling even though his hand was trembling from Garona’s pressure.
“How dare you bluff when you are about to get crushed?!”
Garona’s eyes distorted fiercely.
“Is it because of those cheers?”
He rolled his lips into a smile while looking around the spectators shouting Raon’s name.
“I’ll give you advice as your senior. Fame and popularity are poisons that lead warriors to death.”
“Poison?”
“When you are too focused on cheers and praise, you become unable to understand your own limits and you can’t even discern between what you should do and what you shouldn’t. And that’s exactly how you are right now.”
Wisdom sparked from the ferociousness of Garona’s eyes.
“Unfortunately, this is going to be the end for you.”
The power emerging from his rough hands exploded once again. The impact made it feel like his skin was being torn apart and the bones all over the body were getting crushed.
Rumble!
Even though Raon looked like he was about to get crushed in everyone’s eyes, his eyes were as clear as the sunlight reflected on a spring water.
‘His strength is certainly exceptional.’
Garona’s strength was simply powerful. Even though he wasn’t using any technique and there were no distinct characteristics in the way he was pressing in on him, Raon felt like his body was about to burst. It wasn’t excessive to call him as strong as an ogre lord instead of a normal ogre.
‘However… This is not what I wanted to see.’
He wanted to see the utilization of that strength instead of simple pressure through tremendous strength.
‘Because I’m stronger than him in terms of sheer strength.’
Raon smiled coldly and strained the front part of his left foot. His leg muscles expanded explosively to crush the floor and five layers of protective spells were destroyed at the same time.
Rumble!
He straightened his spine while pushing with his right leg. Once the power surging from his lower body reached his upper body, Garona’s huge hands were pushed back for the first time. Raon noticed the panic in his ferocious eyes.
“Wh-what…?”
“There’s still a lot more to come.”
Raon mustered all of the strength and agility from his body that he’d been keeping sealed.
Rumble!
Heavenly Drive’s blade felt like it was being weighed down by a huge mountain as he crushed Garona.
“Kuh…”
Although Garona’s hand seemed at least twice as big as the average adult man’s hand, it was trembling violently. His knees lowered and were about to reach the floor.
“Th-this is impossible!”
Garona gritted his teeth in disbelief.
“How can you be so strong with those thin limbs?! This can’t be happening, no matter how good you are at controlling your aura!”
“Impossible, you say…”
It wasn’t impossible at all, since it was a natural result. His strength and agility were close to 300 and had transcended the human limits. Even though the Beast Union warriors were supposed to have the strongest bodies, there was no way they could compete against him.
“I said this before to someone, but…”
“Argh…”
Raon smiled coldly and took one of his hands off Heavenly Drive. Even though he was only using one hand to push him, Garona was still unable to push the sword back.
“My perfectly compact muscles are practical muscles, and yours are just for show because they have nothing but size going for them.”
“You bastard…”
Raon pointed at the respective arm muscles with his finger, and a crimson flame started burning from Garona’s eyes.
“In short, my muscles are compact and practical muscles, and yours are fashion muscles.”
“Shut up!”
Garona couldn’t suppress his anger anymore and raised his arms. Although his strength had only been applied in a straight line, it twisted into a spiral to create a powerful impact.
Whaaam!
Raon and Garona were pushed back to opposite sides of the arena from the huge explosion.
“I don’t know what kind of black magic you’ve used, but I admit that your body is stronger than mine.”
Garona bit his lip and lowered his posture with his left arm to the front and his right arm to the back.
“However, you aren’t good at using it. I’ll show you that strength isn’t everything.”
“Sure.”
Raon nodded with a smile.
‘Perfect.’
He was fighting him in order to see how the Beast Union used their stronger bodies, so he was simply glad that Garona was willing to show him without even being asked.
“I’ll erase that irritating smile from your face!”
Garona kicked the ground. His huge body multiplied into three like an illusion as he charged at Raon.
‘A footwork with the Illusion Sword’s principles? All of them look real.’
Raon didn’t have much time to think since Garona was charging forward at a tremendous speed.
Thud!
Raon used the Supreme Harmony’s First Step. When he was about to leap through the space towards the left side, Garona’s movement suddenly changed.
The three Garonas combined into one at the left side and caught up to him in an instant.
Whoosh!
Garona’s fist was already there and covered his vision. His martial art supported the instinctive judgment he made in the split second. His punch was fast and brutal at the same time.
Creak!
Raon hurriedly bent his body backward. It felt like the wind pressure coming from Garona’s fist was tearing the skin of his face.
“You idiot!”
Garona followed up by slamming down his left elbow in order to keep his advantage.
‘I predicted that much.’
Raon pulled his left foot back. He straightened his back and slashed upwards with Heavenly Drive.
Baam!
The clash between the astral sword and fist created a tremendous shockwave that engulfed the surrounding area.
“Hmm…”
Raon’s hand that was holding Heavenly Drive was trembling as he was pushed back. Although he’d increased the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s output to the maximum, the impact had even reached his arm through his hand. His bone would’ve been fractured if he’d used less power.
‘Is it rotation?’
Garona’s fist from the earlier clash contained a powerful rotation. However, it was different from normal Coiling Power or Spiral Power.
‘Moreover…’
Rotation wasn’t the only unusual part of Garona’s punch. His punch had hit twice in total.
Raon had endured the first hit, but the second hit followed up right after to impact the bones.
‘Interesting.’
Raon licked his lips while rotating the Rings of Fire as fast as he could. His footwork could multiply him into three, his punch incorporated a strange rotation, and he even managed to hit twice. There were so many things to learn from him.
“You shouldn’t look so calm anymo—you dare smile?”
Garona’s mouth twisted upon seeing the smile on Raon’s face.
“I’ll finish you off in an instant!”
* * *
* * *
He inhaled and stomped the ground. The arena was falling apart as if an earthquake was happening as he charged at Raon. He used the footwork to multiply himself into three and punched with his huge fist.
Raon narrowed his eyes and used Supreme Harmony’s Fourth Step to withdraw like flowing water. At that moment, the three Garonas combined into one at the center and pierced into him at a speed that couldn’t be seen with eyes.
‘The reason he multiplied into three is simple.’
The footwork must’ve been created through instinct and reason in order to react to the enemy’s movement wherever they went.
‘And it’s made possible through…an elastic ankle.’
Raon looked at Garona’s ankle. His thick ankle kept shaking left and right to create smooth rotations.
Aura wasn’t the only thing Garona was using. He was making the best of the joints and muscles inside the ankle to achieve that crazy speed and variation of footwork.
Whoosh!
Garona was already right under his nose and thrust his fist. The fast and powerful pressure made blood spurt out from the back of Raon’s hand, which hadn’t even been hit by the punch.
‘The best move in this situation is…’
Raon slashed Heavenly Drive downwards to create the Firewall from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s Hundred Flames. The wall of red flame clashed against Garona’s fist.
Whaaam!
The powerful rotation of his punch created an opening in the Firewall’s flames, and the second impact pierced through it.
Thud!
Raon was unable to withstand the second impact and was bounced back. He strained his faltering legs and exhaled roughly.
“Haa…”
The powerful impact was making him nauseous, but he could only smile because he managed to learn the secret behind Garona’s martial art.
‘Rotation was the key once again.’
The Coiling Power and the Spiral Power applied the rotation to the aura as it passed through the mana circuits in order to increase the technique’s power and penetration. It was a martial art that had similar principles everywhere, but Garona’s technique was different.
‘It’s the rotation of muscles.’
Garona’s punches didn’t only use the rotation of aura and joints, but also the muscles inside the waist, shoulder, arm, and wrist. His martial arts combined the rotation of aura, joints, and muscles.
‘I never thought about using the rotation of muscles.’
It was such a surprising method, moving the muscles one more time than they usually function naturally. The new enlightenment filled his brain with excitement.
However, not all of the secrets had been revealed. He still didn’t manage to find out how he was hitting twice.
“You tenacious bastard!”
Garona charged like a ray of light to pound with his fist from above. It must’ve been another martial art from the Beast Union, since his muscles, his wrist, and his aura rotated together to create an impact reaching through his bones.
The punch was simple and ferocious, but Raon wasn’t watching the punch itself. He endured the first punch and even the second punch that followed.
Slam!
Raon got pushed back to the edge of the arena and blood flowed down from his lips. It was a natural outcome because he kept taking Garona’s punches head-on when they were even capable of penetrating through astral energy.
‘I see.’
The secret behind the second impact was the fist itself.
When Garona thrust his fist, he lightly clenched his fist as if he were holding an egg and clenched it tightly at the moment of impact to explode his aura, which must’ve been the source of the second impact.
“Haa…”
Raon wiped away the blood flowing down from his lips and straightened his back. Even though he had to take internal injuries, he managed to discover all of the secrets behind Garona’s moves. He could only smile in satisfaction.
You bastard, why aren’t you wearing your ring?
Wrath popped out from the ice flower bracelet and sat on his shoulder.
‘The Blue and Red Ring?’
Yes.
‘I’m not wearing it because I wanted to win this with my own skills.’
Hmph. Even though you are usually even worse than a fiend, you are being unexpectedly fair.
Even though he was making fun of him with his words, he seemed to be satisfied with Raon’s answer as steamed from his nose.
The King of Essence is also like that. Equipment? Artifacts? They are great. That’s fine. But the most important part is your own might. Back in Devildom, the King of Essence…
‘Keep it for later because I’m busy right now.’
Raon pushed Wrath away with the back of his hand because he was starting to ramble. He focused on Garona instead.
‘The fight isn’t over yet.’
Even though he managed to discover that rotation was the secret, learning it from him was a different story. It was necessary to continuously clash against him in order to learn the principle.
‘I have the perfect technique for that.’
The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s Revolving Sky.
The Revolving Sky consisted of rotating the wrist and aura to create spinning flames like a saw blade. It was the perfect technique to learn the Beast Union’s martial art.
“You are the first one who has lasted this long in a frontal clash against me.”
Garona’s face had an ambiguous expression on it. Even though he looked frustrated, he was also smiling faintly.
“I didn’t know clashing with sheer strength would be so fun. I’m looking forward to finding out how long you are going to last.”
He smiled brightly while warming up his fingers. He seemed to believe that he would be the winner in the end.
Rumble!
Garona opened his arms and mustered all his aura. The endlessly burning energy was powerful enough to create a red heat haze on his shoulders.
“The real fight begins now!”
He charged at a tremendous speed and slammed his fist down.
Thud!
Raon stomped the ground and unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation at the maximum output. He followed Garona’s movement according to what he saw with the Ring of Fire and rotated his body, aura, and muscles at the same time.
Whaam!
Unlike Garona, who took three steps back, Raon took seven steps back and his hands were trembling.
‘I can’t do it immediately after all.’
It was difficult because he had to copy the body’s movement instead of an aura’s. It was actually even worse because it was muscle movement specifically.
‘However… I think I understand how.’
His first attempt was a failure, but he was starting to understand how Garona moved his muscles.
‘Aura.’
He was creating those detailed movements of muscles through his aura.
“We are just getting started!”
Garona charged at him once again. The ferocious power dwelling in his fist was rushing Raon’s body. The joints, muscles, and astral energy rotated in the same direction, and they created a huge shockwave as a result.
“Alright.”
Raon licked his lips and created a crimson flame on Heavenly Drive’s blade.
“Let’s fight until the end.”
* * *
The clash between Raon and Garona created fissures in the arena floor like rice paddies during a drought.
The magicians were continuously casting protection magic, but they kept getting destroyed in an instant and it was pretty much meaningless.
“Is this really a fight between human beings?”
“What is this match…?”
“Why is the Frostfire Sword of Valor even fighting him head-on?! He has those skills that can dodge his moves to target his openings!”
“I know, right? Why is he fighting with Garona’s specialty instead of using that to his advantage?!”
The spectators kept exclaiming in a panic because Raon was fighting Garona face-to-face.
“Isn’t he getting blackmailed or something?”
“Look at him, he’s smiling right now. That’s definitely not the case.”
“He’s crazy. I’ve never seen such a crazy match in my life…”
“My heart is throbbing so hard. This is the true men’s duel!”
“Raon! Hang on until the end!”
“Garona! You must not lose!”
People kept cheering their heads off for Raon and Garona, who were thrusting their sword and fist against each other.
“I wasn’t expecting this development.”
Chamber was sticking her head out to watch the arena below.
“Did anyone here expect this to be a brawl like this?”
She asked while turning her head, but no one responded.
“Who could’ve expected this?”
King Lecross shook his head as Raon blocked Garona’s punch.
“I thought he would target his opening just like when he defeated Borini Kitten, but he’s actually fighting against Garona head-on…”
He laughed bitterly. He looked like he still couldn’t believe his eyes.
“The Frostfire Sword of Valor’s physical abilities have far surpassed my expectations. I don’t even understand how he’s so strong despite the size and shape of his muscles.”
Derus Robert also seemed surprised by it as he watched the match with narrowed eyes. However, his eyes remained cold, unlike the other heads of the Six Kings.
“Kuhahaha!”
Ogram swept his hair up and started laughing like a madman.
“That kid, I’m liking him even more now!”
He pointed at Raon, who was charging ahead to unleash the Revolving Sky at Garona with a grin on his face.
“Muster all your strength to clash from the front! It’s a simple task, but not just anyone can do it. That guy is a true warrior!”
Ogram turned his head around to look at Glenn.
“He’s brimming with beastly blood, unlike you, geezer. I almost want to bring him to the Union.”
“The Beast Union will disappear from the world if you try.”
Glenn was glaring coldly at Ogram.
“You even got better at joking!”
Ogram started laughing even louder. He seemed to believe that Glenn was joking.
“Hmm…”
Sheryl shuddered upon noticing Glenn’s cold pressure.
‘I don’t think that was a joke…’
Ogram seemed to believe that it was a joke, but Glenn was being serious. If Ogram tried to take Raon away, the Beast Union really could end up disappearing.
“I’ll give him my applause for standing his ground while facing Garona with that small body of his. However, that’s the limit of his abilities.”
Ogram stared at Raon with his eyes turned serious. It was as if he hadn’t been laughing before.
“Garona’s true strength isn’t the destructive power, but his regeneration and durability. If they keep destroying each other from the inside, that kid will be the first to collapse.”
Ogram licked his lips and leaned his back in the chair.
“The winner was already decided the moment he decided on a head-on clash. He’s refusing to yield for now, but that won’t last long.”
“Your eyes are as useless as before.”
“What…?”
“Look at his sword.”
Glenn raised his long finger to point at Raon.
Whap!
Raon’s waist, arm, and wrist were rotating strangely. His flame used to simply burn like a saw blade, but it was getting concentrated around the tip of his sword to create a red sphere that looked like the sun.
“Th-that’s…”
Ogram’s chin was trembling in disbelief as he watched Raon’s move.
“The Black Beast Tribe’s…”
“That boy starts slowly, but…”
Glenn rolled his lips up into a satisfied smile.
“Victory always awaits at the end of his path.”
