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"What do you mean by that...?"
Raon tilted his head, holding the Heavenly Drive's sheath. He didn't understand what Alice meant by suddenly suggesting he put something into the sword control technique.
"I had an interesting idea."
Alice nodded and raised her own sword.
"What do you think about mixing the principles of Spatial Sword with those of Sword Control?"
"The principles of Spatial Sword..."
Raon stroked his chin as he listened to Alice's words. He had been so focused on using Sword Control that he had never thought of adding the principles of Spatial Sword.
"Think about it."
Alice levitated her sword in the air. It wasn't Sword Control, but simple telekinesis using aura.
"Most people would think that the biggest advantage of Sword Control is its powerful destructive force, but you should know. The biggest advantage is the freedom it offers beyond human hands."
"That's right."
As Alice said, the reason Sword Control is difficult to block isn't because of its great power, but because of its unpredictable and complex movements.
"Then..."
Alice licked her lips excitedly and tapped the sword with her finger. Her sword disappeared and suddenly reappeared, shattering the edge of the platform. Of course, since it wasn't Sword Control, it lost power and immediately fell, but its power and speed as a flying sword were impressive.
"Wouldn't it be more interesting if Sword Control suddenly appeared like that?"
Alice smiled deeply and said that if the principles of Spatial Sword were mixed with Sword Control, it would create invincible swordsmanship that no one could break.
"Aaargh! What are you doing destroying the ship?"
Lawaine, who had been astonished by the Sword Control, yelled upon seeing the deck Alice had shattered.
"It's my ship, and we can fix it."
"You're not the one fixing it; we are!"
Lawaine frowned and clutched his head.
"Mmm..."
Alice seemed to have nothing to say about that part and quickly looked away.
"What do you think? Sounds good, right?"
She blinked, asking if it wasn't a good idea.
"As you say, it seems it would be a sword technique that no one could block. But..."
Raon shook his head calmly as he looked at Alice.
"It's difficult right now."
Simply using regular swordsmanship with Sword Control overloads his upper dantian, making his mind and body feel heavy as if soaked in water. It was impossible to incorporate the principles of Spatial Sword in the middle because it was difficult even to think of anything else while operating Sword Control. It seemed it would only be possible after reaching Transcendence and beyond to meet Alice's expectations.
"Then how about this?"
Rimmer approached from the side as if he had been waiting and moved his index finger.
"You only use fire aura when you use Sword Control, right?"
"That's right."
Raon nodded. Despite being a Grand Master, the reason he could use Sword Control was due to the synergistic effect of the Fire Ring and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Without the opportunity he obtained from the underground archives, he wouldn't have been able to use Sword Control at his current level.
"The attribute that amplifies fire the most is wind, right? Try surrounding it with the wind of the Gale Wind style over the sword control."
Rimmer nodded, suggesting focusing first on increasing power instead of martial growth.
"Hmm, that seems possible."
Covering Sword Control with wind aura didn't seem to consume much mental power, so it seemed quite possible.
"No!"
Alice nudged Rimmer with her elbow and approached.
"Spatial Sword is much cooler and more practical! You should take the hard road, not the easy one!"
She shook her head and said it would be better to practice Spatial Sword.
-It's not a hard road; it's impossible, you know?
Rimmer snorted, saying it wasn't possible in the current situation.
"Grr..."
"Hmm!"
Alice gritted her teeth as she glared at Rimmer, while Rimmer shrugged indifferently.
"Then I'll try both."
Raon stood between Alice and Rimmer, who were having a staring contest, and levitated the Heavenly Drive in the air.
'Alright...'
As Alice wanted, he launched Sword Control and tried to use the principles of Spatial Sword in the middle. The Heavenly Drive vibrated violently, trying to jump through space, but abruptly stopped in the air above the sea.
'Ugh...'
In the end, it doesn't work. Trying to jump through space while using Sword Control made his head feel like it was about to split. It was the result of insufficient achievement in both Spatial Sword and Sword Control.
"See? I told you it wouldn't work. No matter how awesome Raon is, at his current level, just using Sword Control is already too much."
Rimmer shook his head and said it was obvious.
"W-who said it would work now? I said we should practice!"
Alice bit her lip, revealing the veins on her forehead.
"Raon. This time, try infusing it with the Gale Wind style wind. The power will definitely increase."
Rimmer nodded with a confident look in his eyes.
"Alright."
Raon nodded and focused on Sword Control again. He added the Gale Wind style wind to the calm flames enveloping the Heavenly Drive as he aimed at the pirate ship with Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation - Crimson Slash.
* * *
"My whole body was stiff from going through Dimensional Gates one after another, but it feels good to wield a sword."
Martha smiled as she knocked down a pirate with a tattooed face in one blow.
"I know. I thought we wouldn't be able to train because we were at sea, but I didn't expect to have a real battle like this."
Burren nodded as he took down three pirates who attacked at once.
"But is it okay to kill the pirates? We don't know what wrong they've done..."
Dorian swallowed hard as he left the subdued pirates on the ground.
"They fired cannons at us as soon as they saw us. Do you think they're good guys?"
Martha tapped Dorian on the forehead, telling him to wake up.
"You don't have to worry."
The bald middle-aged man who had guided them to the cabin shook his head.
"The Jirang Pirate Group is known as the scum of humanity in this area."
The bald middle-aged man mercilessly cut the pirates' throats, saying they were demons disguised as humans.
“Murder, robbery, drugs, even human trafficking—they do anything for money.”
The woman with a black eye patch revealed a chilling gaze and said there were probably slaves on that ship as well.
"...That's right. They're down there."
Runaan, who had only defended herself with her scabbard, drew her sword upon sensing a very faint presence below deck. Frost flowers bloomed on her snow-white sword, turning the pirates around her into living ice statues.
"Then there's no need to hold back."
Martha smiled and grabbed her sword with both hands. She seemed to have made a decision and began destroying not only the pirates but also the pirate ship.
"This is also for the good of the continent."
Burren also began to massacre the pirates mercilessly, muttering that that was how to protect the people.
"Stop!"
Just as the Light Wind division was pushing back the pirates without suffering a scratch, the door to the captain's cabin burst open, and a huge, middle-aged man came out. He had a large sword on his shoulder, and the energy emanating from him was as strong as that of a battlefield general. He was at least a Master-level powerhouse.
"Mmm!"
Martha licked her lips as she looked at the middle-aged man who seemed to be the captain of the pirate ship.
"A decent one has come out."
"I'll handle this."
Burren straightened his back and stepped forward.
-Nonsense! He's my prey!
Martha shook her head, telling him to step back.
"Look inside the captain's cabin."
Burren pointed to the room the pirate captain had just come out of. Inside were people covered in blood as if they had bathed in it, chained and slumped over. That meant they had treated the kidnapped people as if they were toys.
"I can't forgive that guy."
Burren raised a cold energy and said he would deal with him personally.
"It's one more reason for me to handle it. A guy like that shouldn't die easily!"
Martha bared her white teeth and said she couldn't back down anymore.
"You young punks don't know your place!"
The pirate captain gritted his teeth and raised his large sword above his head. Just as he was about to attack Martha and Burren with all his might, a huge sword enveloped in flames fell from the sky and split the pirate captain in half.
"Aaaaargh!"
Perhaps because the sword strike was so sharp, the pirate captain didn't die immediately despite his body being split in half, and he screamed in agony as he burned in the flames.
"Wow, this is a bit..."
"That bastard Raon is brutal..."
Even Burren and Martha, who had vowed to cruelly kill the pirate captain, trembled their lips as if they hadn't imagined such an execution.
"Um, I think the ship is tilting..."
Dorian blinked as he looked at his own body gradually sliding.
"It's not tilting! It's split in half!"
Kerin trembled as he looked at the pirate ship that had split in half and begun to burn. The power of the Sword Control that Raon had unleashed was so strong that not only the pirate ship but even the sea beneath it split.
"Aaaaargh!"
"What! What's suddenly happening!"
"The ship is sinking! Save the people first!"
Although the Light Wind division members could walk on water, they plunged into the sea without hesitation to save the people the pirates had kidnapped.
"Damn division leader! How could you destroy the ship after sending us here?"
"This isn't just destroyed; it's completely wrecked! Go show off your strength somewhere else!"
Martha and Burren gritted their teeth as they glared at Raon.
"...Incompetent Raon."
Runaan stared intently at Raon after making a frost tablet.
-Hehehe!
Wrath pointed at Raon and laughed.
-How terrible to be resented by the Bead ice cream girl!
He continued laughing, rolling over onto his back.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know it would have that much power either."
Raon clasped his hands towards the Light Wind division swordsmen. He thought power control wasn't necessary because the ship was large, but when the wind and flames combined, they produced more power than expected. The sword technique was rudimentary, but the destructive power had already surpassed the Grand Master level.
"This is embarrassing."
Raon sheathed the Heavenly Drive again and then went into the sea to help the Light Wind division rescue the people who had fallen into the water.
"See? In moments like this, it's better to simply focus on power."
Rimmer shrugged as he looked at Alice.
"Spatial Sword will be for later..."
"We'll see about that."
Alice bit her lip and tightly gripped Rimmer's shoulder.
"From today on, I'll teach you one-on-one and make you a greater Spatial Sword master than me."
Her reddened eyes gleamed as if she were annoyed at having lost to Rimmer's advice.
"A-alright then..."
Rimmer swallowed hard as he watched Alice's eyes grow redder and redder.
'Isn't there a single normal person in this damn family...?'
* * *
"That's not all!"
Alice hit the deck with a stick she had gotten from somewhere.
"I can see your sword's movement! That's not Spatial Sword; it's just moving quickly!"
She shook her head, saying the approach itself was wrong.
"I know, but it's not easy."
Raon lowered the Heavenly Drive and shook his head. It wasn't too difficult to use Spatial Sword with the sword in hand, but it wasn't easy to perform Spatial Sword with Sword Control.
"No! You can do it!"
Alice shook her head and shouted for them to keep trying.
"Alright..."
Raon sighed briefly and levitated the Heavenly Drive in the air again.
'This is exhausting.'
Since the day they encountered the pirate ship, Alice had been glued to his side, giving him lessons on Spatial Sword, probably annoyed at losing to Rimmer's advice. He wanted to do some other training because it was difficult to mix Spatial Sword with Sword Control in the current situation, but Alice was so enthusiastic that he couldn't bring himself to say stop.
'Let's try a little more.'
Raon launched Sword Control towards a small piece of wood floating in the sea and tried to use the principles of Spatial Sword behind it. The Heavenly Drive became a ray of light as it advanced, then disappeared as if hiding in the shadow of the waves. The sword reappeared in the sky right above the piece of wood.
It seemed successful, but the Heavenly Drive couldn't pierce the piece of wood immediately and wobbled in the air like a person who had fallen into the water.
"Ah..."
Raon shook his head, clutching it.
'Another failure.'
He could launch the sword using Sword Control and move it using the principles of Spatial Sword, but he couldn't attack afterward. It seemed impossible to develop further with his current upper dantian.
-In fact, even the movement is a failure.
Wrath shook his head.
-As that maniac said, the direction is visible. It's sloppy swordsmanship.
He snorted as if it were pathetic.
'Right?'
Raon slumped his shoulders as if disheartened.
-In fact, it's normally impossible to use Sword Control at your current level. If it weren't for that ring in your heart, you wouldn't even have the upper dantian realm to use Sword Control.
Wrath shook his head as if he were already at his limit.
"Ah! What a pity!"
Alice clapped and shook her head.
"Just a little more! Let's try a little more!"
She clasped her hands together and said it seemed like it would work if they continued.
"It won't work."
Rimmer waved his hand.
"It's a miracle that Raon can use Sword Control like this now. It's impossible to add Spatial Sword in the middle."
He shook his head, saying it was impossible until reaching Transcendence, just like Wrath.
"Can't you shut up?"
"What? Can't I even speak with my own mouth..."
"This isn't going to work..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Alice grab Rimmer's collar, about to throw him into the sea.
«If the vice leader knows, the aunt must know too».
He couldn't understand why Alice kept forcing him to do this when even Rimmer knew that developing Sword Control wasn't reasonable for his current self.
-That doesn't mean this training is meaningless.
Wrath shook his head calmly.
'Isn't it meaningless?'
-The energy center is like a muscle. It grows and strengthens, however little, the more you use it.
'Ah...'
-Your upper dantian is currently overloaded, but after resting and using that swordsmanship again, it will have developed slightly, however little.
He shook his head and said that while there might not be a big difference now, there would definitely be a difference when he reached Transcendence.
'I see.'
Raon nodded as he gripped the Heavenly Drive. It seemed Alice was forcing him to do this training in the hope that his future self would become stronger, not his current self.
"Aaaaargh!"
Hearing Rimmer's yell, Raon looked towards the end of the ship. Rimmer had disappeared, and Alice was approaching with a radiant smile.
"Um... where's the vice leader..."
"He went home."
Alice shook her head and smiled sweetly.
"Home...?"
As Raon blinked, he heard the voices of the Light Wind division swordsmen.
"The vice leader fell into the sea!"
"His arms and legs are tied? What's more, he's not moving at all!"
"Rope! Get the rope!"
The Light Wind division swordsmen and the Azure Wind crew began to lift Rimmer up in a panic.
"Shall we continue?"
Alice tilted her head with a chilling gaze.
"Alright."
"Eh..."
When Raon nodded more enthusiastically, Alice opened her eyes wide.
—Don't tell me you're scared. I wouldn't subdue you with my aura or throw you into the sea.
Alice shook her head and said there was nothing to worry about.
'So she even subdued him with her aura...'
Raon swallowed hard. He had wondered why Rimmer had fallen without resistance, but it seemed she had locked his body's movements with her aura.
"Don't worry, take it easy..."
"No. You can be harsh with me. I also have things to do..."
Raon shook his head firmly as he looked at Alice.
"I want to become stronger."
* * *
After a week of sailing, the Azure Wind arrived at its destination, Sevilla Island.
"That island over there is where I saw the Soul Crystal."
Lawaine pointed to an uninhabited island located west of Sevilla Island. It wasn't too far from Sevilla Island, so it seemed possible to walk across the sea without needing to take a boat.
"Hmm, are there many rocks and pebbles around?"
Burren exhaled softly as he looked at the rocks and pebbles scattered around Giran Island.
"Do we have to search among all of that...?"
Martha trembled her lips as if the mere thought was terrible.
"You don't have to worry."
Lawaine shook his head with a slight smile.
"I remember the location roughly, so we just have to go there..."
"Wait a moment."
Raon covered Lawaine's mouth and narrowed his eyes.
"Did you say this was an uninhabited island?"
"Eh? Ah, yes. Since nothing particularly grows there, no one lives on Giran Island."
Lawaine nodded and said it was always an empty island.
-Then those inside aren't residents of this place.
"Excuse me? What are you—"
"There are people inside that island. Quite a lot of people."
The energy of many people could be felt from inside Giran Island. They were all masters capable of manipulating mana.
"Eh..."
Dorian breathed deeply and seemed tense.
"That's right. There are many. And some are quite strong too."
Alice nodded and licked her lips.
"We should first assess their numbers and situation before advancing..."
Just as Raon was about to suggest forming a plan while silently getting off the ship...
"No! In moments like this, attacking is the right way!"
Alice burst through the Azure Wind's deck and in an instant was at the edge of Giran Island.
"Everyone out! From now on, this island is mine!"
She roared and smashed rocks as if she didn't care who was inside. Alice turned around with an expression that seemed to say, "I did well, right?" and gave a thumbs-up.
"Aunt."
Raon's eyes turned a murky gray.
"Please..."
-
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