“Raon Zieghart……”
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Trevin Zieghart grind his teeth. He looked angry—even his skin had turned red.
“Is this sorry mess the plan made by you and Rimmer?”
As expected, Trevin believed that Rimmer’s withdrawal was part of their plan. His eyes were glowing in shame from losing to psychological warfare.
‘Let’s provoke him even further.’
The situation was already decent, but he wanted to destroy the Warring Steel division’s mental state a bit more.
“Plan?”
Raon tilted his head, pretending he didn’t understand.
“I’m talking about making Rimmer withdraw!”
“I’ve never made a plan like that.”
“Wh-what are you talking about?! Then why would Rimmer withdraw?!”
“He probably just wanted to.”
“What?”
“Our squad leader always does whatever he wants because he’s a simpleton.”
Raon lowered his center of gravity and unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. The red radiance emanating from Heavenly Drive’s blade started to crush Trevin’s body.
“I-I don’t understand! Why would he do that in such an important match…?”
“I don’t even know myself what goes on in that gambling addict’s head.”
He actually knew why Rimmer withdrew after defeating one vice division leader, and he also thought about a way to beat him up later, but there was no reason to tell him about that.
“Huh……”
Trevin’s chin trembled as he got pushed back by Raon’s violent flame.
‘S-so was he telling the truth all along?’
That implied that Rimmer wasn’t lying about it when Rimmer was shouting earlier that they should run into the Light Wind squad right away to attack them.
‘Damn it…’
It was absurd how a single crazy elf could mess up the situation so much.
He was boiling in anger. He wanted to immediately run into the waiting room and punch Rimmer in the face.
Raon smiled faintly while looking at Trevin’s face, which had turned as red as a heated saucepan.
“There’s a good reason why he’s the leader of the Mad Dog squad. He’s the craziest one among us.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful energy rushed towards him from behind.
“I told you many times already! We are the Light Wind squad, not Mad Dog!”
Burren pierced into the battlefield with a frown on his face. His violent barren wind created a path toward the first vice division leader, Caman.
“Raon is crazy.”
Runaan spread icy waves to prevent the Warring Steel swordsmen from protecting Caman.
“You are the craziest one among us!”
Martha unleashed the Titan’s aura and dashed through the path created by Burren and Runaan.
Rumble!
The Light Wind squad, wrapped up in a violent madness, followed the three team leaders and charged toward the Warring Steel division.
Wham!
The Light Wind squad and the Warring Steel division clashed with sheer strength, without any formation.
Clang!
Shockwaves burst all over the battlefield as they unleashed their powerful auras against each other.
“How dare you!”
Caman tried to push the Light Wind squad back with a frown on his face when Martha dashed at him and slashed.
“I’m your opponent!”
Martha unleashed a powerful strike to keep her advantage from the surprise attack.
Burren and Runaan went to Caman’s back to support her.
“At-attack! Attack, please!”
Raon tightened the grip of his sword while listening to Dorian’s weak voice as he commanded the Light Wind squad instead of the team leaders.
“Let the dog fight begin.”
* * *
Rimmer put on a woolen hat on his head to hide his ears and hair. He disguised himself as an ordinary swordsman before leaving the waiting room where the eliminated people were supposed to stay and climbed the hill where the spectators were gathered.
“I-I didn’t expect this to happen.”
“This is dogshit.”
“That’s why they are called the Mad Dog squad instead of the Light Wind squad.”
“Seriously, I can’t predict the Mad Dog squad’s actions at all.”
“Rimmer made this so interesting.”
The spectators were laughing so hard while watching the battlefield that fell into utter confusion.
Since most people preferred a dog fight where they randomly bite each other rather than a boring battle of strategy, the spectators’ faces were filled with excitement.
“Whoaaa!”
“Raon! I believe in you!”
“Trevin! Don’t choke now!”
“Warring Steel Division! Don’t lose to them!”
“Mad Dog squad! Bite and devour the Warring Steel division!”
The spectators were cheering for them while calling the Light Wind squad the Mad Dog squad instead—as if that was their name.
“Hmmh.”
Rimmer walked past the spectators while humming and went to the corner of the hill.
“Pl-please…”
“I won’t even be able to pay my rent if I lose this one!”
“That bastard Raon, how did he even figure out that method?!”
“Damn it, Trevin! Why did you decide to do nothing back then?! You should’ve seized the opportunity!”
Unlike the other spectators, who were having fun, the people in that place were clenching their gambling tickets with their eyes trembling in anxiety.
‘The gamblers are always so fun to watch.’
Rimmer went past the gamblers and looked at the blackboard at the edge of the hill.
‘The odds are one to seven!”
It was written on the blackboard that betting on the Light Wind squad’s victory would yield seven times the return if it happened.
“Huh? Hey! Where have you been?!”
The old manager of the gamble smiled at Rimmer while baring his teeth—a few of which were missing.
‘The withdrawal was worth it.’
There were two reasons behind his withdrawal.
The first was to prepare the foundation for the Light Wind squad’s growth by forcing them into a difficult fight instead of an easy victory, and the second one was the gamble.
‘Because the bets aren’t closed right away when it comes to a group battle.’
Unlike the other matches, where the bets weren’t accepted once the match began, people were still allowed to bet for a while—until the two teams showed their strategies in group battles.
Since he knew that would be the case, he immediately withdrew from the match right after defeating a vice division leader so he could join before the bets were closed.
‘The ratio was 1:2 before the match, but it’s 1:7 now. What a great success.’
Rimmer grinned while checking the number on the blackboard once again.
‘This is how you catch two rabbits with one stone.’
The Light Wind squad gained an opportunity to get stronger, and Rimmer himself was earning money. It was truly beneficial for everyone.
“I believe in you, Light Wind squad!”
“Warring Steel division! Show me the power of a division!”
“Trevin! Don’t lose to a youngster like that!”
The spectators in the gambling area were waving their fists while shouting their heads off for the Warring Steel division.
Rimmer smiled in satisfaction and started leaving the gambling area, then he secretly looked upwards. He felt a frightening amount of murderous intent from the hill on the opposite side.
‘I-I might be in danger…’
Glenn must’ve been the one watching him from above, and he was going to be slightly…extremely…dangerous, but he couldn’t miss such a great opportunity.
‘Well, he’s not going to kill me… Wait, he’s not really going to kill me, right?’
Glenn’s pressure was telling him that he might really die, but he still put the gambling ticket into a rubber pocket.
‘I can’t lose it the same way.’
He didn’t want to repeat the terrible experience he had in the Owen Kingdom, where his gambling ticket was burnt up. He took the countermeasure against Glenn’s lightning and stood at the edge of the hill.
‘Raon, my god of wealth, my light and salt, and my brightest hope.’
He put his hands together while watching Raon’s clash against Trevin.
‘As always, I believe in you!’
* * *
* * *
The Warring Steel’s first vice division leader, Caman, ground his teeth when faced with Martha.
“How dare you…”
“You sound like a third-rate villain.”
Martha snorted and slashed with her Heavy Battle Sword. The powerful strike fell towards Caman’s head.
Clang!
Caman swung his sword like he was chasing away bugs, easily deflecting Martha’s attack.
“Know your place!”
“That sounded like a line from a thug in the backstreets.”
“Shut up!”
He charged at Martha while glaring at her. The tip of his sword was extended like a ray of light towards her chest.
“Hmph!”
Martha didn’t step back. She unleashed the Titan’s aura to the best of her abilities and dashed forward instead.
Wham!
The clash between the auras filled the space with blue sparkles.
“Are you really a Master? You are too weak.”
While the swords clashed, Martha rolled her lips into a smile while looking at Caman.
“Haa…”
Caman briefly exhaled and opened his furious eyes.
“I wanted to finish this fight so I could help the division leader, but you are leaving me no other choice.”
His pressure erupted like a volcano, and a materialized aura emerged from the sword he was holding. It was astral energy, the symbol of being a Master.
Creak!
Caman’s decisive slash cut through Martha’s aura like tofu.
“Argh!”
Before Martha could withdraw, Caman’s astral sword tried to hack at her waist. At that moment, a green aura blade interfered from the right.
Cring!
Burren managed to block Caman’s astral energy and groaned.
“Ack! He told you! You can’t do it on your own!”
“Damn it…”
Martha was pushed back before she could thank Burren for saving her from that crisis.
“It’s still impossible even if you help her!”
Caman snorted and unleashed astral energy towards Burren.
Cring!
The tip of his sword turned white from the rapid and sharp strike, and Burren’s aura blade ended up getting destroyed, just like Martha’s.
“This is the end of the line!”
Caman was about to slash horizontally to attack Martha and Burren at the same time, but a cold energy spread out from behind him. It was Runaan.
“Hmm!”
Caman couldn’t finish Burren and Martha off and had to turn around to fend off Runaan’s frost.
Pssh!
The frost was affecting his hand, and he couldn’t completely block it.
“Why are you here now?!”
Martha clenched her back teeth while looking at Runaan.
“Because Martha is too weak.”
Runaan nodded blankly at Martha.
“Who are you calling weak?!”
“Martha.”
She casually stated and even raised her finger to point at Martha.
“Don’t ignore me!”
Caman melted down the frost that was appearing on his hand before charging at Runaan.
Whoosh!
Runaan tried to slow Caman’s movement with her frost, but he unleashed his aura to push back her ice and slashed like lightning. It was a performance befitting a Master.
“Hmm.”
Runaan blocked Caman’s strike by swinging her ice sword into a semi-circle. However, she lost to the overwhelming power, and her aura blade was scattered into pieces.
Cring!
When Caman’s sword was about to reach her shoulder, Burren came running once again to block his astral sword.
Creak!
His aura blade couldn’t last much longer, and when it was about to split apart, Martha dashed from Caman’s left to strike.
Whack!
Caman couldn’t ignore the heavy strike coming from his left and was forced to change the trajectory of his sword, which was about to attack Runaan, to block Martha’s sword.
“You are being as annoying as fruit flies…!”
The hand holding his sword was trembling as he glared at Burren, Martha, and Runaan.
“Fruit flies can’t be as big as we are!”
Martha stepped on the wall to charge at him and slashed consecutively.
The bundle of aura blades made from Titan’s aura covered Caman’s surroundings.
“We aren’t flies. We are mad dogs.”
Runaan followed from the left side and assisted Martha’s strike.
Whaam!
Since they were at the highest Expert realm, they managed to withstand a Master’s astral energy for a short time.
“We are the Mad Dogs! We are the Light Wind!”
Burren didn’t miss the small timeframe that they’d earned for him and unleashed the Barren Wind Sword from Caman’s back.
Cring!
The silver blade engulfed in the northern wind rushed towards Caman’s right arm.
“Ugh!”
Once again, Caman failed to finish Martha off and had to step back while grinding his teeth.
“You dirty bastards…”
“This really is working.”
Burren smiled faintly while watching as Caman’s trembling lips disclosed his panic.
‘We can really deal with a Master.’
Even a highest-level Expert couldn’t deal with the astral energy of a Master on their own.
However, two of them could last a bit longer, and having three even allowed some room for a counterattack. Burren could guess that they were more than capable of winning if they continued.
“Why are you the ones attacking?!”
Martha stomped the ground. Crimson flames ignited in her eyes, and a powerful energy surpassing her aura blade burst from her blade.
It was Berserk, the special technique that allowed her to win the Six Kings Tournament’s duel, igniting once again on the battlefield.
Wham!
Martha’s violent energy exploded as she charged towards Caman. It wasn’t going to be easy even for a Master to fend off the diagonal slash because of how powerful it was.
“Tsk.”
Caman briefly clicked his tongue and stepped back. Dealing with Martha wasn’t an issue, but it could become problematic if Burren and Runaan followed up.
“Hmm?”
He examined Burren and Runaan while dodging Martha who was full of insanity, but the other two weren’t moving at all.
‘Wait, are they…?’
He narrowed his eyes and looked at Martha. Her amplified energy from Berserk was spreading around her, making it impossible for Burren and Runaan to approach.
‘This is my chance!’
Caman was being pushed back, but he put force into his ankle to dash forward instead. He unleashed as much astral energy as possible and thrust his sword.
Cring!
The moment his astral energy was about to pierce through Martha’s shoulder like a sharp awl, her eyes suddenly returned to the clear color of a lake.
Whaam!
The energy that was randomly spreading out from Martha assembled into her blade and clashed against the astral energy.
“Yo-you…”
Caman wanted to cut it off, but he couldn’t pull out his sword because Martha was focused on defense.
“Argh! I don’t like this, but I’ll be the sandbag today!”
As soon as she coughed up blood, Runaan and Burren rushed in from behind Caman.
Whaam!
The barren wind spreading from Burren’s sword surrounded the frost emerging from Runaan’s sword to strike Caman’s back.
“Aaaack!”
As expected of a Master, Caman managed to defend by covering his back with aura, but he still took a large amount of damage from Burren and Runaan’s attack as blood gushed from his mouth. He must’ve gotten a serious internal injury.
“A combined attack? You are playing dirty!”
He was extremely irritated and increased his aura’s output to the maximum to barrage them with attacks. The sword strikes covering the space were falling on them like a rain of arrows.
Whaam!
Runaan was the first one to step forward. The frozen flower petals followed the trajectory of her favorite sword, Snow Flower, and decreased the astral energy’s flow and power.
Cring!
Burren acted right next to her, and a cold wind stormed from his sword. The extremely sharp blade made of barren wind chipped through the slowed astral energy like sandpaper.
“Aaaaah!”
Martha charged between Burren and Runaan with the explosive Titan’s aura. The tip of her sword sparkled in yellow and broke through the dried-up astral energy to pierce into Caman.
“Ack!”
Caman couldn’t withstand the combined attack of the Light Wind squad’s three team leaders and collapsed on the ground while coughing up blood for the second time.
“Huu…”
“M-my shoulder hurts.”
“A Master isn’t a big deal.”
Martha, Burren, and Runaan walked up to Caman while faltering and raised their swords.
“Wa-wait!”
“Have you ever seen a mad dog listen? Die!”
Since they didn’t have any strength left to use their aura, they smacked Caman’s back with physical strength alone.
Smaack!
With the sound of a pumpkin being destroyed, Caman’s head was slammed into the ground. He lost consciousness.
“Huff, he’s called a Master for a reason.”
Martha sat on the ground and watched the battlefield. Since a dogfight was the Light Wind squad’s specialty, they had the advantage all around the battlefield.
“No, you shouldn’t go that way! Go to the right! Hey, please listen to me!”
Moreover, Dorian—who was assigned as the temporary leader because he was the strongest after the team leader—was unexpectedly giving proper orders, and they didn’t even suffer many losses.
Martha’s lips rolled into a smile as she watched Raon and Trevin’s fight at the center of the battlefield.
‘It’s up to you now.’
* * *
“The Warring Steel’s vice division leader, Caman has been incapacitated!”
“The Warring Steel division’s Jacob has been incapacitated!”
“The Warring Steel division’s George has been incapacitated!”
“The Warring Steel division’s James has been incapacitated!”
“The Light Wind squad’s Krein has been incapacitated!”
“The Warring Steel division’s Oliver has been incapacitated!”
An entertained smile appeared on Raon’s face as he listened to Harrison’s voice as he acted as the referee.
‘Everyone did it.’
After their vice division leader, Caman, was defeated, the Warring Steel swordsmen followed one after the other. There was a questionable name in the mix, but it wasn’t a huge problem.
“Ho-how is this happening…?”
Trevin swallowed nervously while listening to the endless news of the Warring Steel swordsmen’s elimination from the battle.
“Mad dogs never let their target go once they bite. It’s best to not get bitten in the first place.”
Raon pushed Trevin back with sheer strength before he unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s Flame Spirit.
Whap!
He raised Heavenly Drive in the midst of the firestorm raging throughout the battlefield. His eyes looked even hotter than the fire itself.
“Let’s put an end to this fight, Warring Steel division leader.”
