N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 414
"Kyaaarrrgh!"
The moment Musten dropped his shattered sword, the eyes of the stunned audience lit up.
"Is... that a single sword strike?"
"The disciple of Sword Demon lost to a single sword strike?"
"This is insane...."
"Wait, can this be true? Can a master level defeat another master level with a single sword strike?"
"Even though I saw it with my own eyes, it's hard to believe...."
"Isn't it a bit disappointing?"
"It's more than just disappointing. They say there's no food at a famous feast, but this is beyond that...."
The spectators sighed deeply, witnessing the anticlimactic end of the highly anticipated duel between Raon and Musten.
'Ah....'
Musten, trembling, looked at his broken sword. The middle of the blade was cleanly cut, and the shattered edge was stuck in the dueling ground.
'What is this?'
He couldn't believe that his master's swordsmanship was defeated by that young man's with a single strike. It felt like a nightmare rather than reality.
'This can't be!'
Musten raised the broken sword towards Raon, refusing to accept this defeat.
"Tch."
Raon Zieghart, with a short, mocking smirk, watched Musten.
Pitiful.
Wrath raised his head with a cold, insect-like gaze.
It's even worse than being weak.
'That's right. It didn't deviate a single inch from my expectations.'
Even if it was just a single strike, a victory was still a victory. In a real fight, he could have lost his lives.
Refusing to accept the outcome and insisting on continuing the fight, regardless of his skills, was a regrettable display of character for someone claiming to be the disciple of the Sword Demon.
"So what do you intend to do?"
"Let's fight again! I don't care if I'm like this!"
Musten was determined to keep fighting, despite his injuries.
"Musten."
When Raon tried to raise Heavenly Drive again, Sword Demon appeared on the dueling grounds.
"Master."
Musten looked at the cold gaze of the Sword Demon and swallowed hard.
"This is a duel, and it's over."
As the Sword Demon raised his hand, the sword stuck in the ground was lifted.
"Even if you lost to a single strike or even if you were careless, a loss is a loss. Come down."
"Ugh...."
Musten, biting his lip until it bled, left the dueling ground.
However, he glared at Raon with bloodshot eyes, as if he would never forget it.
"I apologize."
The Sword Demon approached and lowered his gaze.
"Allow me to apologize. He hasn't been in this world for long, and his manners are lacking. I hope you understand."
The broken blade on his hand turned to powder and scattered. It was unclear whether to call it an apology or a threat.
"It's okay."
Raon nodded with a dazed expression.
"Then the match with sir Rekthar...?"
"Since you need some rest as well, let's start it a bit later," the Sword Demon said before descending from the dueling ground.
"Hmm..."
Raon watched the Sword Demon's retreating figure.
'He's giving me a chance to fight better, so there's no need to complain.'
He nodded and sat in a chair right below the dueling ground.
"What's with you, really?"
"Well, what can I say? He's insane!"
Burren let out a sigh, and Martha curled her lips.
"Raon. The best."
Runaan raised her thumb with approval.
"I'll rest for a bit, so please protect me."
Raon asked the three of them to protect him, then closed his eyes.
'The swordsmanship that Muster showed me is probably the Sword Demon's martial arts.'
He closed his eyes as he thought about any parts of Muster's swordsmanship that he could learn from.
* * *
"I'm sorry!"
Muster kneeled down as soon as the Sword Demon came down.
"This ugly bastard has tarnished my master's reputation!"
He screamed as he banged his head on the ground.
"But!"
Musten raised his bleeding forehead. His pupils were twisted like a demon.
"I was just being careless. If I had gone all out, I could have won...."
"Musten."
Rekthar scowled at Musten and furrowed his brow.
"You said you could have won if you hadn't been careless?"
"Yes! He only won because of a coincidence! If you give me another chance to fight, I will regain your honor and come back!"
"Are you saying you can win without even looking at your opponent?"
"What?"
Musten opened his mouth, not understanding what he meant.
"Your gaze was not on that child but on me. You weren't dueling with Raon; you were dueling with me."
Rekthar looked at his trembling disciple with cold eyes.
"You were full of the desire to show me your skills rather than concentrating on the opponent in front of you. You thought you could defeat that boy named Raon like that?"
"Well... uh...."
Musten couldn't answer and hung his head in shame.
'Right....'
I wanted to show my swordsmanship to my master, not that Raon.
In order to prove that I'm the only one suitable to be the Sword Demon's disciple, I used the imperfect Myrad Swords that I haven't mastered yet, which resulted in my defeat by the single sword strike.
'Darn it!'
Now he finally understood. He had lost because he didn't focus on his opponent and only displayed half-hearted swordsmanship. It was only natural to lose to Raon, who gave it his all.
"Now you finally understand."
Rekthar nodded slowly.
"If you had fought with your own skills from the beginning without trying to emulate me, you could have had a good match with that boy."
"Argh...."
Musten shivered and trembled while biting his lip.
"Remember this defeat for the rest of your life, as it should elevate you. And..."
Rekthar took one step closer to Musten.
"You may not have been my first choice as a disciple, but I have no intention of giving up on you as my disciple. You are my only disciple, so don't waste time with unnecessary thoughts and focus on your training."
Rekthar left that message behind and turned away.
'I've said enough, that should do.'
Musten, who wasn't his direct choice as a disciple, had always struggled with low self-esteem, easy excitability. He hoped that this duel would help fix his disciple's flaws.
"Phew...."
Rekthar closed his eyes and watched Raon practice his swordsmanship. He quietly clenched his lips.
'It's strange, no matter how I think about it.'
He didn't resemble him, but he did.
When Rekthar looked at Raon, the image of that boy came to mind.
Despite having a different hair color and eye color from the bright golden hair and eyes, their facial features were eerily similar.
'It brings back unpleasant memories.'
When Rekthar let out a sigh while looking at Raon, Musten also glared at Raon, clenching his fists.
* * *
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After the first duel ended in a quick defeat, the gamblers who had come to their senses rushed to Rimmer's stall.
"Aaargh!"
"Hey! You con artist!"
"Give me back my money!"
"That pathetic bastard who claims to have killed an Apostle and a Floor Masters? That's bullshit!"
"He's just a loser!"
"I should have never believed that elf!"
The gamblers rushed to Rimmer's stall, grabbing his collar as if they were going to tear it down. The anger in their eyes was so intense that it seemed like they had lost all sense of reason.
"Hiiiyiiik!"
Dorian trembled at the sight of the gamblers' bloodshot eyes.
"Calm down, everyone."
Rimmer waved his hand to calm the crowd, not at all fazed.
"The world of competition is a cold one! Even though he won with a single strike, Raon was also injured. Look, he's meditating over there, right?"
He pointed to Raon, who was closing his eyes and cultivating his aura, and the gamblers' cries of despair momentarily ceased.
"Everyone. It is said that people are given three chances. The first chance you were given was to be able to see this duel, the second chance was to be able to bet on this duel, and the last chance is that there is one more round!"
Rimmer's exclamation made everyone, both those who had won and those who had lost money, gape in shock.
"A chance?"
"Another round?"
"What does that mean?"
"First, let go of this and everyone step back."
The spectators let go of Rimmer's collar and stepped back.
"As you know, the duel between Raon and Sword Demon will begin soon. Well, it's more like a lesson than a duel, but the situation has changed."
Rimmer smiled coldly as he pointed to Sword Demon.
"Will Sword Demon just let Raon, who defeated his beloved disciple with a single strike, go? Look at you!"
He pointed to a gambler who had grabbed his collar earlier.
"If you were Sword Demon, what would you do?"
"I, I would crush Raon with a single strike as well."
"That's right! Sword Demon is also human, and he's partial to his own people, so he'll be disgusted that Raon humiliated his disciple. Of course, he'll just crush Raon with a single strike here!"
Rimmer slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
"Our third chance begins now! Will Raon be able to withstand Sword Demon's single strike, or will he not? I will open a new round right now!"
He immediately began taking bets on the new duel.
"Crazy...."
"Is that even a bet?"
"That's right. Even if he's Raon, he can't withstand the Sword Demon's sword."
"Yeah. This is a bet that can't be won."
"Stop talking nonsense and give me...."
The people scoffed, thinking that no one would bet on Raon.
As everyone stared at Rimmer with contempt, the Third Prince pushed his way through the crowd and stood in front of the table.
"I'll bet all the money I won and my original stake on Raon surviving the single strike."
The Third Prince said that he would bet all the money he had won, plus his original stake, on Raon.
"Thank you!"
Rimmer smiled and bowed his head, and then he heard an aura message from the Third Prince.
[You'll keep the promise to tell me what Martha likes, right?]
[Oh, of course. Once it's all done, I'll tell you what that girl likes the most.]
He nodded confidently at the Third Prince.
'His favorite things are fighting and cursing. Well, what else could it be?"
Martha would never fall for the Third Prince, so it was enough to just mention what she liked and move on.
"Dorian, make sure you write it down."
"Yes!"
Dorian nodded and wrote down the Third Prince's betting information in the ledger.
"Wait, didn't the prince bet 500 gold coins earlier?"
"He did. That would have been 1,000 gold coins now...?"
"He's betting all of that?"
"My God... What a daring soul!"
People swallowed their saliva as they watched the Third Prince place a large bet.
"I'm going for the Sword Demon!"
"Me too!"
"This is bullshit! I'm going to turn all my emergency funds!"
"Third chance! That's right! I have to catch this chance, no matter what else!"
"I'm going to Cameloon!"
As people who won money and people who lost money reinvested, the table began to fill with money.
Rimmer chuckled as he watched the pile of money grow.
He bowed his head with folded hands to Raon, who had finished his rest, and prayed fervently.
Oh, my lucky star!
**
Raon shook his head as he saw Rimmer's gambling den in chaos again.
'Wherever that guy goes, he won't starve.'
To take advantage of a moment of crisis, he was almost admirable for his swindling.
I want to pull out those long ears!
Wrath was getting angry and swung his round fist in the air.
'That's right. It's annoying to watch.'
Raon laughed and walked up to the dueling ground. His body was relaxed, he was in even better condition than when he was fighting Musten.
Sword Demon who had been observing nodded and walked up to dueling ground.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
Raon nodded heavily.
"Thank you for giving enlightenment to my disciple."
Sword Demon looked at Musten and narrowed his eyes.
"He is still young and inexperienced, he has a lot to learn. He will be able to reach higher heights thanks to your teaching."
"That's good."
Raon looked at Musten, who was still showing a murderous gaze despite Sword Demon's words, and licked his lips.
"Since you gave my disciple an enlightened with a single sword strike, I will also end our duel with a single sword strike. Will you accept it?"
"It would be an honor."
He took a deep breath and drew Heavenly Drive.
"Then let's go."
Sword Demon drew his sword from a distance of more than ten steps.
The sword blade, with a slight reddish hue, stood up in the sky. The majestic aura could be felt from the sword form, which was too natural to be called an upper stance.
"GoooOOOoooOOO!"
His sword descended slowly. It was so slow that even a child could laughingly dodge it, but the pressure it exuded made his heart feel like it was about to explode.
'What is this...'
At a speed that is so slow that he could yawn, and with no astral energy or sword aura, he had no idea how to block it.
"Kugh!"
Whether he dodged or blocked, he felt like he would die. The pressure of the sword, as if it held the weight of the entire world, pressed down on his body.
His bones screamed, and he couldn't even catch his breath. He couldn't understand how a human could wield such swordsmanship.
This is an interesting lesson
Wrath savored it as if he found it fascinating. His voice brought him back to his senses as if a splash of cold water had been thrown on him.
'I can't just let this happen.'
He needed to find a way.
His heart felt like it had turned into stone, but he had to do something.
'Repaying the disgrace your disciple suffered, huh?'
'If he's serious, it's a bit crude…'
The high and mighty Sword Demon had come out in such a way that he hadn't expected. It made his blood boil.
Raon, clenching his lips until they bled, gripped Heavenly Drive tightly.
'My current swordsmanship won't be enough.'
He couldn't block Sword Demon's sword with any of the swordsmanship he had learned and practiced so far.
'If I can't reach the level I've been aiming for…'
I'll have to go further.
Raon used his Ring of Fire to its fullest, igniting the burning passion within his heart.
Zzzing!
The resonance of the ring was still incomplete, but it triggered a sensation in the upper part of his body, which felt like his brain was on fire, revealing a new perspective.
The slow descent of Sword Demon's sword now seemed fast, and the contained sword techniques within it expanded like a panoramic view.
'This…'
It was the same sword technique that Musten had shown, but the completeness was on a different level.
The grandeur of Myrad Swords, which contained numerous sword techniques and mysteries, roared towards the world.
Behind the completed Myrad Swords, Sword Demon's eyes were dry. His expression lacked any enthusiasm as if he was squashing a bug.
Raon knew the true identity of the sword, and when he saw the disdain in Demon Sword's eyes, he didn't want to crumble like this.
Ooong!
The seven Rings of Ring of Fire converged as one, and the mana within his body, connected to his mana circuit, became vividly apparent.
Sword Demon's sword, which had contrasting and irreconcilable sword techniques, was condensed into a single sword.
'If it were my first time, I couldn't have stopped it. But…'
I've seen a more remarkable sword than that up close.
I had seen the sword of a warrior who weaved all the forces of the world together, even though the flow was different.
Glenn Zieghart.
The price for seeing his back is high.
Because he saw the sword of the Destructive King of North, he could not bend down even when he saw the Myrad Swords descending in front of him.
He moves forward.
One step, then two steps.
He drew in the image of Glenn's transcendent sword that had pushed back White Blood religion leader and Tacheon in a single strike.
The ring of fire, which were rotating to the extreme, twisted as if they would break, causing a huge roar.
A world of imagination.
In the white space that was filled with only the buds of the sword, the stems of the sword slowly sprouted.
He adjusted Heavenly Drive, enjoying the pain that felt like his brain was burning.
GoooOOO!
He took a step forward, simultaneously operating the heat of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's aura and the coldness of Glacier.
Kuuuung!
The footprint, which was loaded with the weight of a thousand pounds, caused a huge crack in the dueling ground.
He recalled the martial arts he had accumulated over the years as he took over that magnificent power at his waist.
He couldn't contain everything.
Didn't Musten show that? That he couldn't even focus on a single sword.
He only contained the swordsmanship that he has been endlessly training in.
The sword of Raon Zieghart, which was fast, strong, colorful, and accurate, rose up with a grand glow.
