C797
Raon curled his lips slightly as he looked at Lawrence, who had a wrinkled expression on his face.
"He's really angry."
Well, it must have been even noisier for him. Because Lawrence wasn't just a Master or even a Grand Master, but a Transcendent. Sure, he could have blocked his hearing with aura or created an aura barrier to block the noise. But no matter how much he blocked the sound, he couldn't block the vibrations that he couldn't help but feel.
Raon had expected Lawrence to come out naturally since he had caused vibrations in the air by clashing Demon Sword with Fast Sword.
"First before, and now again, how the hell did you get up?!"
Lawrence stared at Raon and lowered his chin.
"I hit you so hard that you should have needed to recover for a while, so why?"
"I'm a little robust."
Raon smiled while hitting his chest with his fist.
"Although it hurt."
Just now, Lawrence had struck his solar plexus with the clear intention of knocking him unconscious. It was a force that even a Grand Master would have fainted from, but Raon was able to withstand it without fainting by mitigating the impact with his physical abilities comparable to a Transcendent Warrior and the Snow Flower Magic Armor.
- This guy isn't just a leech, he's a tenacious leech.
Wrath shook his head.
- He's disgustingly tough and won't let go! He'll suck blood until he's dry!
He gritted his teeth and said they shouldn't have caught him.
"A, a little robust?"
"If it were us, we'd be on the verge of death..."
The String Sword Lord and the Demon Sword Lord let out a sigh, finding it unbelievable.
"Don't you have any conscience?!"
Lawrence approached Raon, clenching his lips tightly.
"Are you saying it's okay to cause trouble for others under the guise of training? It's too noisy to live!"
He shouted, telling Raon to simply leave.
"Well, that's true."
Raon nodded calmly, acknowledging his own mistake.
"I should apologize first."
"I don't need your apologies! Just disappear from my sight!"
Lawrence extended his hand and told him to keep his mouth shut and go down the mountain.
"Still, I should apologize."
"I don't need-"
—No, not to you, Lawrence. To those friends over there.
Raon didn't point at Lawrence, but at the Zelkova tree next to the cave he had come out of. A family of squirrels were peeking their heads out of a hole. In fact, since he had directed the vibrations towards the inside of the cave from the beginning, the squirrels hadn't really felt the discharge.
That those guys are coming out of the hole now was probably due to Lawrence's shouts, not the vibrations.
"They're the owners of this mountain, right? I'm sorry. It will be over soon, so please be patient a little longer."
Raon bowed with his hands clasped towards the squirrels. As soon as they looked him in the eye, the squirrels quickly retreated to the hole in the tree.
- Ah, what a vicious...
Anger made his thick chin tremble.
- This king has lived a long time, but this is the first time I've seen a madman greet squirrels just to mock others!
He let out a sigh, saying that the number one lunatic in the dimension was truly different.
"Grrrr..."
Lawrence also seemed to have lost his mind and was drooling. It seemed that even the mental strength of a Transcendent Warrior couldn't withstand this.
"¡Eh!"
"Ah, no. This is a little..."
The Demon Sword Lord and the String Sword Lord, who had been enjoying Raon's performance, blinked as if they found it ridiculous.
"Alright! I'll face you right now as you wanted!"
Lawrence approached, clenching his teeth.
"But this time you won't be able to get up at all!"
A deeper golden light burned in his eyes as if anger had taken root.
"Ignoring the order, you're a pretty messy person."
Raon tilted his head and asked the Demon Sword Lord to surrender to him.
"Order? Discipline? Those are the words that should come out of your mouth!"
Lawrence shouted as if he found it absurd.
"I can't keep up with your carefree tongue. I think I know who you resemble!"
As soon as he clicked his tongue, he disappeared from sight. It was a ghostly footwork that erased even his presence.
"I shouldn't trust my eyes. The same goes for aura perception."
Lawrence's footwork creates illusions for the eyes and senses. What he needed to focus on was the emotion of "Wrath" that he felt from Lawrence.
'Not from the left... Behind!'
Raon wasn't fooled by Lawrence's presence that he felt from the left side, but he turned his back to find the aura where the wrath was shining. As soon as he turned his head, he saw Lawrence extending his hand, elongated like a tree branch.
Raon, as if he had been waiting for this, bent his knees and pushed the Heavenly Drive sword he had been holding in front of his chest.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Heavenly Drive. A supreme swordsmanship that attacks in thirty-six directions with a single blow, imbued with the essence of extreme speed.
"¡Mmm!"
Lawrence, realizing that his surprise attack had been blocked, raised a defense with his right hand that had been stretching. As the golden light flickering in his eyes shone in his hand, the thirty-six sword strikes that had been advancing in a straight line calmed down like dying embers.
'Doesn't it work even if I increase the speed and add wind? Then...'
Raon ignited the Revolving Sky flames on the Heavenly Drive sword as its flow was stopping and drew the Blade of Requiem with his left hand. While the Revolving Sky flames blocked Lawrence's defense, he raised the extreme Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation on the Blade of Requiem.
A fire dragon that rose from the edge of the sword exhaled a magnificent breath of fire. It was the Flame Dragon Strike, unsurpassed in power.
The great flames that seemed to want to burn down the entire mountain spread, but Lawrence's defense erased all the flames of the Flame Dragon Strike as if he had erected an absolute wall. All that remained were small sparks that had settled on the ground.
'That is...'
Raon bit his lip as he watched the flames die down.
“It's not just simple martial arts.”
Although he was operating the Fire Ring, he couldn't feel the sensation of being able to follow it immediately. That annulment technique seemed to be both a martial art and a phenomenon.
'I want to see more...'
Just as Raon was about to raise the Heavenly Drive sword he had tilted downwards to fight to the end, Lawrence approached from the left with even faster and more mysterious footwork.
"There's no room to put the sword in."
Because his reaction was late, there was no interval to launch the Heavenly Drive sword. He swung the Blade of Requiem imbued with icy energy. Lawrence easily erased the frost as if he had decided to go all out and placed his hand on his own chest.
"This time it's going to hurt."
Along with his deep voice, a powerful impact exploded on his chest. Raon flew out like a kicked ball and crashed to the ground. The surrounding earth was deeply excavated by the force with which he was hit.
"Uf..."
Lawrence frowned as he looked at his slightly trembling hand.
"It's grown back so quickly."
Ordinary swordsmen fear that their swordsmanship will be destroyed so easily. Even in the Holy Sword Alliance, no swordsman asked him for a training match. But that young man seemed to enjoy it when his swordsmanship was destroyed, clashing with all his might every time.
He seemed to lack the pride or fear that a swordsman should have. He was a monster, both in strength and mentality.
"Isn't this too much?!"
The Demon Sword Lord frowned as he looked at Lawrence.
"He's still just a kid!"
The String Sword Lord also bit his lip, saying it was excessive.
"You can check it yourself. He's a tough guy, this is what it takes to keep him down."
Lawrence sighed briefly as he brushed the dust off his hands. Being the grandson of the Rector, he had used all the force possible without killing him. This time, he wouldn't be able to get up in any way.
"If you get up this time too, I'll thank you. But..."
"Seriously?"
Raon widened his eyes as if he was mocking him.
"¡Aaagh!"
"¡Eh!"
The Demon Sword Lord and the String Sword Lord, who had been worried about Raon, stepped back in shock. Their reactions were truly funny. He could understand why Merlin always appeared in animal form.
"You, how did you…?"
Lawrence trembled with his golden eyes as if he was facing an incomprehensible phenomenon.
—This time it's a little... no, quite painful.
Raon clicked his lips as he rubbed the left side of his chest.
"But it's not unbearable, so..."
"¡Aaaaargh!"
Lawrence shouted as he disheveled his hair.
"Are you a zombie or what? I hit you in the heart area with aura, why don't you even faint?"
"I'm used to being hit."
Raon smiled slightly as he slowly raised his upper body. This time the impact was really strong, so he couldn't move immediately.
"Why are you tormenting me like this? Why?"
Lawrence raised both hands as if begging for forgiveness.
"I'm not tormenting you, I just want to train. It's playing, you know?"
Raon shook his head calmly.
"I don't want to play! Leave me alone!"
- He's not a zombie, but a leech. I told you he won't let go.
Wrath shook his head and said it was all over the moment he was bitten.
"Since you said you'd recognize me, let's do it."
Raon raised his index finger towards Lawrence.
"W-what do you mean?"
"Train with me once a day, without fail."
After facing Lawrence three times, Raon felt it. His annulment technique was a special power that couldn't be broken at this time. Since it would be pointless to keep facing him this way, it seemed better to increase his achievement in swordsmanship through combat and then challenge him once a day.
"Once?"
"Yes. Once a day."
Raon nodded, saying that would be enough.
"Puaj..."
Lawrence bit his lip as if he was worried.
"I have a routine. Those who know me know that if my routine is broken, I have a very hard time..."
"If you don't like it, I'll do it like before. I have good stamina, so I can fight day and night. I wonder how many people I should bring."
"Alright! Alright!"
He finally gave in to Raon and nodded.
"Contract confirmed."
Raon smiled and pressed his hand seal in the air.
- Is that really a contract? Isn't it more like blackmail?
"I got an answer through non-violence, so it's a contract. In any case, I'm the one who got hit, so I'm the victim."
- No matter how you look at it, that grasshopper seems to be the one who's really suffering...
Wrath clicked his tongue, finding it ridiculous.
"...Now go down."
Lawrence waved his hand with all his exhausted strength. His face seemed to have aged ten years in that moment.
"Okay. ¡Ah!"
Raon nodded and then opened his mouth again.
"Since the last sparring was after we signed the contract, I'll be back tonight."
He smiled as he said that.
"No, that... ¡Urgh!"
Lawrence trembled his jaw as if anger was rising again, then lost his words and lowered his head.
"Well then."
Raon bowed to Lawrence and went down the mountain with light steps.
"Oh..."
"¡Oh!"
The Demon Sword Lord and the String Sword Lord let out sighs of admiration as if they had seen a noble person, then followed Raon.
"Puaj..."
Lawrence trembled his hand as he watched Raon's back walk away.
Is this right? Is this really the best? Wasn't there another way?
But no matter how much he racked his brains, he couldn't find any answer. The only right answer would have been to run away the moment he encountered that guy in the village, but unfortunately, it was too late.
"¡Aaaaargh!"
Lawrence shouted loud enough to drag the mountain, regretting accepting the match in the first place.
* * *
"Puaj..."
Martha bit her lip as she looked at the middle-aged swordsman in front of her.
"She's strong. And she's a trained force."
This swordswoman wasn't only strong in swordsmanship, but she also prided herself on her skills. She was a true swordswoman with convictions.
'This is going to be fun.'
There are many strong swordsmen among the outsiders, but it's rare to find someone who has beliefs about swordsmanship. She could understand why this place was called the Holy Sword Alliance.
"We're both tired, so why don't we finish this this time?"
The middle-aged woman tilted her head as if she was telling her to attack her with all her strength.
"I like your personality too."
Martha smiled refreshingly and raised her sword. The two swordsmen looked into each other's eyes and simultaneously stomped on the ground. Martha unleashed an extremely powerful sword strike, imbuing the Titan's aura with the wind of the Gale Wind Style. A sound that seemed to pierce space emerged from the blade of her sword.
"Strength is good. But..."
The middle-aged woman, without erasing the smile from her lips, extended the sword in her hand. A small but deep light rose from the blade of her sword. It was straight and precise. A noble sword strike that seemed to have accumulated only that belief collided with Martha's sword.
Anyone could see that Martha's cut contained greater force, but the person who was at the end of that collision was the middle-aged swordswoman.
"Puaj..."
Martha bit her lip as she sat down in place.
"It's not difficult to withstand such a strong wind."
The middle-aged woman smiled slightly.
"It's much harder to dodge the rays that fall on me with precision."
She lowered her sword and extended her hand towards Martha who had fallen.
"What did you say your name was?"
Martha nodded as she took the middle-aged woman's hand and stood up.
"Jaira."
The middle-aged woman revealed her name with a slight smile.
"Wait for me. I'll defeat you easily soon."
Martha showed a fresh smile contrary to her fierce words.
"I'll be waiting."
Jaira gestured slightly with her hand and left.
"Are you alright?"
Burren, who had finished his training earlier and was watching, approached.
"Miss Rakshasa. Does it hurt...?"
Runaan also tilted her head with worried eyes.
"Don't call me Miss Rakshasa!"
"I don't want to."
"¡¡Eek!!"
Martha hit Runaan's head, and Runaan stepped back, sliding as if he was using footwork.
"Seeing your condition, you seem to be fine."
Burren chuckled as he examined Martha.
"I'm fine. Physically."
Martha gritted her teeth with her head down.
"I could have won..."
Although Jaira was stronger than her, the difference wasn't that great. What determined the victory in the end was the concentration and the size of the confidence they had built up until now.
"I should have believed in myself until the end, but in the end, it's a lack of strength."
"Your concentration faltered at the end."
A familiar voice was heard from the side as Martha reflected on herself.
"Eh?"
When she turned her head, Raon was approaching, he looked as if he had been made up with dirt. Looking at his forehead and around his mouth, it seemed he had even coughed up blood.
"What happened to you?! What the hell happened to you?"
Martha trembled her jaw as she looked at Raon.
"Something fun happened."
Raon smiled as if he was excited, with a disheveled face.
"It looks like you've been beaten up a lot, is it really fun?"
Burren frowned as he examined Raon's clothes.
"You bathed in dust..."
Runaan also tilted his head as if he found it strange.
How did it go, guys?
Raon nodded his head towards Burren and Runaan, telling them not to worry about him.
"I won by a hair's breadth. The match was favorable to me."
Burren let out a sigh of relief, saying he had been able to win by a hair's breadth.
"I lost..."
Runaan tilted his head heavily.
"Runaan's opponent was at the peak of the Master level. It was a close match, so you did well."
Burren nodded and said that Runaan's fight was quite impressive.
"You saw mine, right? I got beaten up like a dog."
Martha frowned and told him not to ask anymore.
"What about Dorian?"
"I don't know."
"It seemed like he had been dragged somewhere..."
Martha and Burren shook their heads slowly.
"You don't need to worry about Sir Dorian."
Mustan approached and bowed to them.
"Master Zalek took him away, saying that he needed to cultivate his mind first after seeing him release his sword before even starting the match."
He told them not to worry, explaining that Zalek was an Elder of the Holy Sword Alliance and a confidant of the Rector.
"Then we can trust him."
While he may not have known about the Elder of the Holy Sword Alliance, the Rector's confidant was certainly trustworthy.
- Still, I should check later.
Raon organized his thoughts and looked at Burren, Martha, and Runaan again.
"You might want to prepare to lose more here."
"Lose! Absolutely not!"
Martha shook her head rapidly.
"Is there a reason?"
"The swordsmen of the Holy Sword Alliance imbue their beliefs in their swordsmanship. Rather than thinking about winning, if you approach the sparring with the mindset of learning that attitude, you'll be able to reach a higher place."
Raon revealed a solemn gaze as he shared the point he had realized himself.
"I too am prepared to lose a thousand times here."
As he said that, he looked up at the mountain where Lawrence was.
'No, I have to overcome even if I lose more than that.'
* * *
Raon returned to Rector's mansion after finishing his sparring with the Demon Sword Lord and String Sword Lord. Rector had prepared dinner for everyone to eat after finishing his work. He too was a swordsman of the Holy Sword Alliance who did his own work.
"Where is Dorian?"
"Master Zalek took him away. He said he would stay there for a while."
Mustan bowed his head briefly.
"His bad habit has flared up again."
Rector laughed lightly as if familiar with the situation.
"Well. How was the sparring?"
He nodded slightly, looking at Raon first.
"I met someone named Lawrence. There..."
Raon told him everything that had happened with Lawrence.
"Hahaha!"
Rector couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, hitting the table.
"So that's what happened. That guy's face must have been quite a sight."
He smacked his lips as if regretting not being able to see that scene properly.
"Isn't that going too far?"
Burren let out a gasp in shock.
"That's called noise pollution! You devil!"
Martha also trembled her jaw.
"Want to see squirrels..."
Runaan smacked her lips, saying she wanted to see the squirrel family, not caring about anything else.
"No."
Rector calmly shook his head.
"Keep going. Go even if he tells you not to come."
He patted Raon's shoulder, saying he did well.
"He's a lonely guy, so keep playing with him."
Rector looked at Raon with warm eyes as if he found him admirable.
-Is that right?
Wrath shook his head.
-He looked like he was about to lose his hair from stress...
* * *
A week had passed since Raon came to the Holy Sword Alliance. During that time, he spent all day sparring with other swordsmen and then went to find Lawrence for a single duel at night. Of course, he had never won, and he came down the mountain every day after getting hit on the head and chest.
However, there was something he had learned during this time. Lawrence values maintaining his daily routine and sleeps during the day.
He didn't look that old, so it was hard to understand how he had reached transcendence with such a lifestyle.
'The more amazing thing is his martial arts.'
Lawrence's martial arts were on a different level from the swordsmanship he knew. If swordsmanship in general was created to kill opponents, Lawrence's swordsmanship seemed to have been created to break the opponent's martial arts.
"Uf..."
Raon let out a sigh as he climbed the mountain to the cave.
"This time I'll definitely achieve it."
Today, he had raised his level of swordsmanship by fighting with ten swordsmen, so he felt a little confident.
'I arrived a little early.'
It was a little earlier than usual, but since the moon was rising, Lawrence probably wouldn't be sleeping.
"¡Lawrence!"
Raon called out to Lawrence by name while standing in the clearing of the forest where they always fought. Irritated footsteps were heard from inside the cave, and Lawrence slowly came out. The area under his eyes was darkened as if it had been painted with charcoal.
"Please come at the right time! Why does the time always change?"
"There's no set time for training, right? I come as soon as I'm done."
Raon shrugged towards Lawrence.
"You..."
Lawrence gritted his teeth and came out of the cave, but suddenly stopped. He bit his lip as he looked at the full moon rising in the sky.
"Wait, what day is it today? ¡Urgh!"
Lawrence collapsed in place as if his legs had lost strength. A power and a temperament different from what he had felt until then began to emanate from him.
"Lawrence?"
"¡Don't come!"
Lawrence waved his hand right in front of the cave.
"Because of you, my routine was broken, and I lost track of time! No sparring today! Come back tomorrow!"
He shouted at Raon to back off as he crawled inside with trembling arms.
"Wait, that's..."
Raon bit his lip, then kicked the clearing and stood in front of the cave.
"I told you not to come!"
"You..."
Ignoring Lawrence's shout, he entered the cave. He placed his hand on the Heavenly Drive sword as he saw the white blood flowing from his mouth.
"What's your relationship with the leader of the White Blood Religion?"
-
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