âRekriâŚâ
The Demonbladeâs eyes trembled as he watched Rekri, who was unconscious with foam coming out from his mouth.
The disciple that heâd worked so hard to raise was shoving his mouth in the dirt because he couldnât even lift his head.
âHow did it even happenâŚ?â
He was well aware that Raon was going to win against Rekri.
It was a question of how and how long he lasted, but Raon had ended the match in only four attacks. The difference was overwhelming.
âThis is impossible!â
He would have accepted the result if Raon had used an attack of will. He wouldâve acknowledged it even if the match had ended in a single clash.
However, Raon hadnât used his will at all, instead overwhelming Rekri with nothing but swordsmanship and spirit.
He was on a whole different level. The Demonblade couldnât comprehend how there could be such a huge difference between two highest-level Masters.
âHmmâŚâ
The Queen of Swords also widened her eyes, surprised by Raonâs prowess.
It had been a very long time since the last time sheâd made that face because she rarely showed her emotions.
âIncredible.â
The Demon Slaying Spear exclaimed and leaned forward from his seat. The fingers rubbing his chin were trembling slightly.
âHeâs finished off a warrior at the same level as himself in only four moves without using his will. Not a single person in the entire continent should be capable of this.â
He murmured that it was a violent talent, capable of trampling upon all of the other geniuses heâd seen so far.
âHmmâŚâ
The Demonblade twisted his lips. He wanted to find a way to refute it because he didnât like Raon, but he didnât manage to find anything. It was extremely frustrating, but he had no other choice than to admit it.
âIs he really twenty-one years old?â
He still couldnât believe that a boy who hadnât even reached the Grandmasterâs wall had defeated Rekri in four moves. He was filled with more and more questions as he kept thinking about it.
âWe need to stop this.â
The Thespian Emperor bit her lip while looking at the three other leaders.
âIt will be a problem whether this match happens or not, but it will become uncontrollable if we end up losing.â
The fighting contest was prepared to show the Five Divine Ordersâ power to the Six Kings.
Naturally, the disciples of the Five Divine Orders were supposed to be the protagonists, but Raon was going to snatch away that fame insteadâand even muddy the Five Divine Ordersâ name at the rate things were going.
âAnd how are we supposed to stop it?â
The Demon Slaying Spear licked his lips while roughly scratching his hair.
âRaon just proved his skill by easily beating Rekriâs sorry ass to the ground, just like he previously declared. Itâs going to cause a huge uproar if we withdraw now.â
He pointed at the spectators with his thick finger.
âWhoaaa!â
âRaon! Raon! Raon! Raon!â
âCome out! Come out! Come out!â
âThree-on-one! Three-on-one! Three-on-one!â
The spectators were shouting their heads off for the three-on-one match between Raon and the disciples of the Five Divine Orders to happen.
âHmmâŚâ
The Thespian Emperor bit her lip while looking down below.
âIt looks like our great Thespian Emperor didnât manage to predict this situation even though she can read heavenâs flow.â
The Demon Slaying Spear grinned. He looked like he was glad to have an opportunity to tease her.
âItâs already too late.â
The Queen of Swords crossed her arms once again and leaned her back against the chair.
âWithdrawing now will be an even bigger disgrace than losing the match.â
âShe is right. The Five Divine Orders might even get called cowards from now on.â
The Demon Slaying Spear nodded in agreement.
âLetâs believe in our youngsters for now.â
He shook his finger, saying that Raon wouldnât be able to win against three highest-level Masters even if he used a martial art of will.
One of the Demon Slaying Guildâs warriors entered the arena upon seeing that gesture.
âIâm curious what heâs going to show us this time.â
The Demon Slaying Spear grinned while looking at Raon instead of his disciple who had just entered the arena.
ââŚâŚâ
âKuh.â
The Queen of Swords was also quietly watching Raon, and the Demonblade bit his lip to the point of bleeding in frustration.
âHaaâŚâ
The Thespian Emperor sighed while pressing her temple with her finger. She gritted her back teeth while looking at Raon.
âRaon Zieghart⌠How long are you planning to mess everything up?â
* * *
* * *
Raon looked at the first man to enter the arena.
He was wearing a leather vest, revealing his shoulders and silver armor. The long spear he was holding in his left hand clearly revealed his affiliation.
âIâm Jerome from the Demon Spear Guild. I acknowledge your skills, but are you sure about this?â
Jerome slammed the arena with the long spear while he introduced himself. His expression and manner of speech revealed his displeasure at the situation.
The next person to enter was a tall woman wearing a light purple martial uniform. Her skin was slightly sunburned, but her eyes were as clear as a snow field.
âPendleton from the Blade Martial Pavillion.â
She briefly revealed her name and affiliation before she closed her eyes while grabbing the hilt of her sword hanging around her waist. She seemed to be collecting her mind before the match.
Step.
The last person to enter the arena was a young man. He was wearing white clothes without a single speck of dust on them, and his long black hair was neatly swept back. Raon could guess his personality from his towering nose ridge and elegant gaze.
âI am Mason from the White Whale. Iâm honored to cross blades with the White Sword Dragon.â
He placed his hand on his chest and greeted him politely. It was behavior befitting the Thespian Emperorâs disciple.
Raon swept his disheveled hair up and analyzed their capabilities.
âAll of them are highest-level Masters.â
Just like Denning Roseâs information had said, all three of them were highest-level Masters.
Considering theyâd reached that realm at their young ages, they were definitely capable enough to carry on the future of each faction.
âIt will be a nice spectacle if all three of them get defeated at once.â
Since that was the last thing the Thespian Emperor mustâve wanted, Raon wanted to make it happen no matter what.
âHmmâŚâ
The referee awkwardly climbed onto the arena. His face was pale, unlike in the beginning.
The way he was rolling his eyes showed that he wanted the fighting contest to end already.
âA-are you really doing this?â
He walked up to Raon and swallowed nervously.
âOf course.â
Raon nodded while declaring that he was obviously doing it.
âHmm, what about you threeâŚ?â
âItâs an order from above.â
âI made a promise.â
âI accept.â
Jerome, Pendleton, and Mason nodded one after the other.
âI-in that case, the match between Raon from Zieghart against Jerome from the Demon Spear Guild, Mason from the White Whale, and Pendleton from the Blade Martial Pavillion is starting⌠now!â
The refereeâs trembling hand cut through the thin air before he ran outside the arena.
âI have an impatient personality, soâŚâ
Jerome spun his long spear to create wind before he swiftly kicked off from the ground.
âYou two match my movement!â
He dashed fiercely and thrust his long spear. The violent trembling of the spearhead showed that the shaft was flexible. It almost looked like there were dozens of spearheads attacking Raon.
âBut only one of them is real.â
The resonance of the Ring of Fire increased Raonâs physical senses to the peak. The vibration of the spearhead filling his vision faded away, and its original appearance could be seen.
Whaap!
Raonâs right hand extended like lightning. Crimson flame stormed around Heavenly Drive in his grasp. It was the Revolving Sky of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, utilizing Rekriâs swift technique from earlier.
Clang!
Wrapped in fire, Heavenly Drive deflected the spearhead rushing towards his chest and advanced towards Jerome.
âKuh!â
Jerome rapidly rotated his spear. The spear shaft got in the way and unleashed an astral spear as thick as a boulder.
âI expected that counterattack.â
Raon lowered himself like a flying sparrow and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He evaded the spear shaft with a paper-thin difference before piercing into Jeromeâs space.
Whoosh! đŁđŻđ˘đ˘đ´đ˘đđđŹđđ˘đŠ.đđŹđ
Just as he was about to execute the downward slash with Heavenly Drive, powerful waves occurred from both sides.
âStop.â
âThis is as far as you go!â
Pendleton was performing a sword draw from his right, her hand turned dark, and Mason was punching from the left with an astral fist.
Rather than being a surprise attack, they were trying to warn him to withdraw.
âYes, of course. A three versus one wouldn't be an easy fight. HoweverâŚâ
Raon smiled faintly and nodded.
âI donât know how to stop.â
He rolled his lips into a deep smile and advanced.
Jeromeâs spear had come to a halt because he believed that Raon was obviously going to stop, and Raon slashed downwards towards his chest.
Psssh!
A long laceration was created from Jeromeâs right shoulder to the left side of his waist, and red blood gushed from it.
âItâs time to block their attacks now.â
Pendletonâs sword and Masonâs fist were approaching him from behind. It was too late to turn around for defense.
âThatâs why⌠I prepared this in advance.â
Raon smiled coldly and focused Glacierâs coldness on the Black Dragon Coatâs scales. A round shield covered the scales of the Black Dragon Coat, frost smoke rising from it.
He was originally unable to do it because he was using the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation at the same time, but heâd become capable of using the two energies simultaneously after heâd started to utilize the wind.
âHmm!â
âTh-thatâsâŚâ
Pendleton and Mason furrowed their brows upon witnessing the round wall of ice created from coldness.
âThey are quick to notice.â
They seemed to have realized that it was the same as Runaanâs shield, but it was already too late to stop their attacks.
Craack!
The ice wall shattered into dozens of pieces upon being hit by the astral energy and absorbed the impact.
At the same time, the scattering pieces became frozen daggers rushing toward Pendleton and Mason.
âKuh!â
âArghâŚâ
Mason consecutively punched with an astral fist, and Pendleton created a sword barrier to sever the frozen daggers.
While those two were focused on defense, Raon examined Jerome.
Despite the dangerous amount of blood gushing out from him, the laceration wasnât too deep. Jerome had moved back at the moment of attack to minimize his injury.
âSo they are not complete idiots.â
Considering that Jerome had managed to figure out the swordâs trajectory to move back and that the other two had remembered Runaanâs technique the moment theyâd seen the ice wall, all three of them were good enough to be called highest-level Masters.
âEven so⌠Nothing is going to change.â
Raon twisted his right foot. He exploded the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivationâs heat at the mana circuits under his ankle and the femoral muscles in his thigh.
Thud!
He charged towards Jerome, who had withdrawn to the edge of the ring, with a dynamic movement that maximized his speed.
âUgh!â
Jerome had put himself together in that short period of time and thrust his long spear while maintaining his distance.
The spearhead surrounded by blue astral energy took the shape of a huge hammer and fell.
It was an excellent attack that didnât have any drawback at all in terms of speed, power, and sharpness, but it didnât pose any threat, either.
Cring!
Raon drew a line similar to a tidal wave with Heavenly Drive. It was the Hill under the Clouds of the Blizzard Sword Art. The astral spear was pouring down like a mountain, but the flow was completely cut off and it dropped to the ground.
Raon stepped on the spear with his left foot in the air and was about to enter Jeromeâs distance when a black shadow followed up from the right.
Whoosh!
Pendleton had followed after deflecting all the ice shards. She thrust her sword, her eyes shining red.
On top of being fast, the sharpness of the attack seemed capable of cutting through the space. It felt like an assassinâs deadly move rather than a swordsmanâs.
âIâll have to block this.â
It was too late to create an ice wall like earlier. It was going to make a hole in his body if he didnât stop it.
Raon gave up on cutting Jerome down and turned his shoulder around to unleash the Firewall.
Whaaap!
The fire shield was ignited along Heavenly Driveâs trajectory to block Pendletonâs attack and also pushed away Jeromeâs spear shaft.
However, those two werenât the only opponents. A huge wave of aura could be felt from behind him.
Mason was thrusting his fist from where he was standing in the beginning. Golden astral energy rushed at him, huge enough to swallow the entire arena.
âHow peculiar.â
It wasnât an ordinary martial art. The thrust looked like a punch, but the area was as wide as a palm strike and it was faster than a sword slash. It couldnât be stopped with the Firewall that was chipped away at during the previous defense.
Raon turned around and pulled Heavenly Drive back. His blade was extended at the same time as his left foot, and the fire dragonâs breath was unleashed from it.
Whaaam!
The Flame Dragon Artâs fire clashed against the golden punch from Mason, and a powerful shockwave was created as a result.
Raon was enduring the impact by putting his weight on his legs, and Jeromeâs spearhead pierced at him from the left.
The spearhead trembling along the shaft was extended like an awl, and the astral energy rained down from it. It looked like Jerome had also started to use his special technique.
âInteresting.â
Raon pierced Heavenly Drive towards the sky while tapping on the hem of the Black Dragon Coat. The coldness dashed through the blade and created a round barrier to cut apart Jeromeâs astral spear.
Pendletonâs sword soared explosively, and Raon cleaved down with the Fangs of Insanity.
Rumble!
The consecutive explosions of astral energy were causing a numbing pain in his hand. Even though Heavenly Drive was covered in Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, it was pushed back for an instant.
âDid she overlap it?â
Pendleton seemed to have overlapped the astral energy on top of the black aura surrounding her blade.
A thin smile appeared on Raonâs face as he stepped back.
âI like how there are so many things to learn.â
Pendletonâs overlapping technique, Masonâs long-ranged punch, and Jeromeâs variable spear technique. All of them were martial arts worth learning.
âThey said that everything is a lesson.â
Glenn and Rector had advised him that he should learn from many experiences in order to achieve the versatile sword.
Just like theyâd said, Jerome, Mason, and Pendletonâs special techniques were giving him a new idea that he hadnât realized before.
Raon felt like he could complete a new technique from the Azure Sky Sword if he kept facing their martial arts a bit longer.
âAre you really smiling?â
ââŚâŚâ
âIâll erase that smile from your face for you.â
Jerome frowned, and Pendleton bit her lip. Mason also seemed angry, veins bulging from his forehead.
Rumble!
Raon rolled his lips into a smile while watching the three people charging at him with their special techniques.
âI canât help smiling.â
âBecause this is my restaurant.â
Where? Whereâs the restaurant?!
* * *
Whaam!
Mason bit his lip as he watched Raon easily cut through his astral fist.
âThis doesnât feel rightâŚâ
His punches were less and less effective the longer they fought.
It was normal to get used to the opponentâs martial art as the fight progressed, but it almost felt supernatural in Raonâs case.
The fight hadnât even lasted for that long, yet he seemed to have already analyzed everything about his martial art.
Whir!
Mason held his breath and unleashed the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist. It was the special technique of the Lofty Cloud Fist, faster than a sword and as wide as a palm strike despite being a punch.
Whoosh!
Raon swirled his sword and unleashed his astral energy from the side of his sword instead of the edge. The astral energy violently burst from his sword and clashed against the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist.
Whaaam!
The astral energy raging in red completely removed the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist and created a crater on the floor through its tremendous power.
However, that wasnât the most surprising part.
âTh-the astral energy heâs just unleashed⌠was similar to the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist.â
Raon wasnât too good at long-range slashes, but it had become faster and wider as if heâd gained the strength of the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist.
It was difficult to believe, but he seemed to be improving during the battle.
âDamn it! What the hell is he?!â
âMy Black Hermit SwordâŚâ
The gloomy faces of Jerome and Pendleton implied that they were thinking the same thing.
âNow that I think about itâŚâ
Raon was using an illusion sword with a storming aura against Jerome and clashed against Pendleton head-on by overlapping his astral energy.
âDonât tell me⌠is that crazy bastardâŚ?â
He realized that Raon was defeating the three of their martial arts by using the same type of skills.
Gnash!
Mason violently ground his teeth. He used the Cloudy Sky Divine Fist to destroy the arena floor in front of Raon.
Whoosh!
He withdrew next to Jerome and Pendleton while Raonâs vision was covered by the dust.
âYou shouldâve noticed it, too. We are definitely going to lose at this rate.â
âDamn itâŚâ
ââŚâŚâ
Jerome and Pendleton couldnât deny it. They bit their lips in frustration while looking in Raonâs direction.
âWe have only one option. We have to hit him with everything weâve got and finish him off while heâs still obscured by the dust.â
âAre you telling me to reveal all my secrets?â
Jerome bit his lip.
âYou can keep hiding it if you want the dishonor of losing a three-on-one fight.â
âIâll do it.â
Pendleton fixed her grip on her sword.
âItâs already miserable, but it will be even worse if I donât.â
âIndeed. We have to win no matter what. For the honor of the Five Divine Orders.â
âWhy did I end up with a bastard like him?!â
Mason nodded, and Jerome spun his spear shaft while swearing.
Whoosh!
The moment Raon removed the sandy dust and emerged, the three kicked the arena at the same time.
Jeromeâs spear shaft was being slammed down like a collapsing sky. The astral energy engulfing the spearhead split into five different raging storms.
The astral fist concentrated around Masonâs fist made it look at least four times bigger.
His body turned golden, and the majestic astral fist unleashed as a result was huge enough to cover the entire arena.
As for Pendleton, she overlapped the astral energy to the point where the blade was about to break, slashing down in a curve. The dark crescent moon severed Raonâs space.
As the three warriors unleashed their special techniques at once, a dark shadow appeared in the arena. There was literally a tidal wave of astral energy.
âItâs the perfect time to finish this match.â
Raon smiled faintly while facing the outrageous power falling towards him.
âBecause Iâve already taken all I needed.â
Heâd learned all of the principles of their special techniques during the fight. A new idea settled down, and a new sprout started to grow.
Glenn was the image of that sprout.
It was Glennâs back that heâd seen in Edenâs branch. He remembered the supreme sword that had driven the White Blood Religionâs leader and the Fallen at once with a single strike.
Raon advanced calmly, just like Glenn had done back then. He pulled Heavenly Drive to the left and unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier at the same time.
The heat and coldness soared through the refreshing wind and engulfed Heavenly Drive to create a sublime radiance.
âHe is my sky.â
He swung Heavenly Drive while imagining Glenn Zieghartâs strike.
âYou wonât reach my sky.â
The second technique of Azure Sky Sword, the Unreachable Azure Sky.
The auspicious radiance flowing through Heavenly Drive cut apart the tidal wave of astral energy filling the sky.