C1020
Raon calmed the furious heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation on the Heavenly Drive sword.
"You're right. I've been too obsessed with the power of swordsmanship all this time."
During training, he had practiced all forms of swordsmanship, from basic to advanced, but in actual combat, he mostly used techniques that were powerful and fast.
"I had to end fights quickly."
Because if battles dragged on, his comrades and subordinates could die, he always chose the fastest path in combat, which naturally meant using powerful and wide-ranging advanced sword techniques.
"Of course, that wasn't always the fastest way."
While it's true that advanced techniques are more powerful, if he had used his head and applied the correct sword technique at the right time, he could have ended battles faster and more effectively. But he had given up on thinking deeply and simply tried to end fights with strong and fast swordsmanship.
His face flushed with shame knowing this but being unable to act accordingly.
"Thinking about it, the sword techniques I've used recently have been quite similar."
He frequently used the destructive Flame Dragon Strike, the all-encompassing Flame and Ice Unification, Azure Sky Sword techniques, and Heavenly Thunder Arts, and among his own created techniques, Void Cut and Whisper of the Wind.
"If I use all those techniques now, I could probably defeat Briana."
No matter how strong Briana's soul is, her body and aura don't exceed the Queen of the Swords' level. If he exerted himself to the fullest, even using Sword Domain, he could eventually win.
"But winning like that would be meaningless."
He had provoked the Queen of the Swords and Thespian Emperor because he wanted to fight Briana, as Glenn had warned. Technique against technique, swordsmanship against swordsmanship, only by defeating Briana in this way could he find the reason he came here and grow himself.
"Have you realized something?"
Briana twisted her lips as if she found it ridiculous.
"I'm sorry, but that's not something you can realize right now."
She shook her head as if to say it was absolutely impossible.
"Understanding forms isn't about talent, but about repeating them hundreds of thousands of times."
Briana raised her sword that was shining faintly and narrowed her eyes.
"Even for a genius like you, that means you need a lot of time."
She smiled slightly as if to say she would make him feel it directly, then kicked the ground.
"She's fast."
Although she was using the Queen of the Swords' body and aura, due to her footwork having reached its peak, Briana appeared before his eyes with a lightning-like movement.
"Her swordsmanship is also almost perfect."
While the Supreme Sword focuses on thrusting, Briana twisted her blade at the moment of the thrust to incorporate cutting or slashing as well. The reason his waist and thigh were cut was because of this peculiar technique. There was a big difference between the Queen of the Swords and Briana.
"Hundreds of thousands of times, huh...?"
Raon stepped back with his left foot, etching Briana's sword, which was penetrating like a punch, into his eyes.
"I think I've done that too."
He took a step with the Third Step of Supreme Harmony, imbued with the subtleties of fluid swordsmanship. Like autumn leaves falling to the ground avoiding human contact, he deflected Briana's sword.
"Nonsense. Even if you had been swinging a sword since you were born, it would be impossible."
Briana shouted not to say nonsense and twisted her wrist. The sword in her grip bent at a strange angle and lunged toward his chest.
"Fast and strong doesn't mean perfect swordsmanship. To block Briana's sword..."
Raon raised his toes like a bird's foot and drew a semicircle with the Heavenly Drive. Clang! The Heavenly Drive flowed like a wave, blocking Briana's sword and exploding with a sound like thousands of dishes breaking. However, unlike the loud noise, no impact remained on his hand.
"I should have received it like this from the beginning."
So that the impact is directed outward, not toward my body. Because Briana added the subtlety of penetration to the Supreme Sword, which is the highest level of swordsmanship, even when using powerful techniques, there had been a great impact on his body and mind.
But now, by harmonizing footwork and swordsmanship to adapt to the current situation, the impact he used to feel when using Flame Dragon Strike or Flame and Ice Unification completely disappeared.
"Footwork is as important as wielding a sword."
In most battles, he had used the fast part of the Harmony Step, but now using the gentle Third Step or the heavy Fifth Step was much more effective. Whoosh!
Briana frowned as if she was surprised by his unbreakable defense, but thrust her sword again. The black aura blooming from her sword thrust rose sharply like icicles under the eaves.
"This isn't a simple form either."
Briana attacked like an ambush, but moved her sword in a way that made it impossible to accurately calculate where it was aiming.
"Even if I can't tell where it's aiming, it will eventually land somewhere."
Raon lowered his stance by bending his knees. Raising the energy of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation on the Heavenly Drive's blade, he waited for the moment Briana's sword approached.
"Hmph!"
As if she sensed he had read her movement, Briana turned her shoulder and thrust her sword even faster. It was a move to disrupt the flow of the battle so he couldn't defend properly.
"I was expecting that."
The moment Briana's sword thrust sped up, Raon threw his waist back. His sword blade cut deeply into his bangs.
"Hmph!"
As if anticipating his evasion, Briana grabbed her sword upside down to strike him in the chest. Zing! The moment Briana's sword fell toward his chest, Raon deployed the Fangs of Insanity, raising the subtleties of the bewitching sword and the fluid sword imbued with fluctuation.
"The opposite of precision is fluctuation."
The precision sword is the subtlety of swordsmanship that hits exact points, while the bewitching sword is the subtlety that creates confusion by shaking the sword. As it was almost impossible to block Briana's precision sword in a broken stance, he simultaneously raised the fluid sword and the bewitching sword to break her swordsmanship. Whoosh!
Briana's sword strike violently shook like a sailboat hit by ocean waves, hitting the training ground floor instead of his chest.
Swish. Raon didn't miss that opportunity, straightening his waist and aiming the Heavenly Drive at Briana's neck.
"Didn't you say that a sword duel is like chess or a siege?"
Raon smiled as he lifted Briana's chin with the Heavenly Drive.
"I agree. There's definitely a flavor of breaking through the castle gates and taking the king's head."
Raon nodded, saying he had learned something good.
"Hmm..."
Briana frowned, looking at the Heavenly Drive touching her neck as if she hadn't expected to be counterattacked at the perfect moment of the attack.
"A-As expected, you won!"
Krein clapped after letting out a sigh of relief.
"Palace Master! I believed in you!"
"You're full of nonsense!"
Martha snorted as she hit the back of Krein's head.
"You were trembling like a puppy about to pee, thinking that the Palace Master might lose!"
"I saw it too. I also heard you muttering how embarrassing it would be if he lost."
Burren smiled with his arms crossed, saying he would tell Raon later.
"Raon doesn't lose..."
Runaan nodded, seeming to have absolute faith in Raon.
"It seems he's realized something new again!"
Dorian clasped his hands, saying that Raon was always the same. The swordsmen of the Light Wind division also looked at Raon with relaxed eyes, seeming to share the same thoughts as the executives. Whoosh. Raon withdrew the Heavenly Drive he had been holding at Briana's neck upon hearing the cheers of the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
"What is this?"
Briana frowned as if asking what he meant.
"It seems you've let your guard down, so I'll give you another chance."
Raon wagged his finger, telling her to get up.
"You'll regret this."
Briana gripped her sword tightly, veins popping on her forehead.
"An opportunity like this won't come again."
She bit her lip, saying that she had only been caught off guard by an unexpected move this time.
"No, you'll be looking at me from that position again."
Raon swung the Heavenly Drive, saying they should start immediately.
"Fine. From now on, I'll properly acknowledge you and defeat you."
Briana withdrew her sword deeply as if holding a spear, then thrust it forward in one go. Whoosh! Countless lights connected like constellations in a cloudless night sky lunged toward him. It was a Supreme Sword technique that the Queen of the Swords had shown, but its power, speed, and the level of subtleties imbued in the sword were different. Whoosh!
Raon let out a gasp as he watched Briana's swordsmanship that seemed to tear down the universe.
"Beautiful."
This was a high-dimensional swordsmanship that could only be created by refining forms to the extreme and completely understanding and embodying the subtleties within them. His heart trembled in admiration for Briana's effort and talent.
-Is this the time to think it's beautiful!
Wrath slapped his back as if to tell him to come to his senses.
-You'll die if you don't block it properly!
He shouted that it was a sword technique that Briana had unleashed with her whole heart, saying the impact would be great even if he blocked it.
-Don't waste time and pull out a strong sword technique!
"I don't need a powerful sword technique. I'll just use aura at that level."
-Huh?
"It's right to face sincerity with sincerity."
Raon resonated the Fire Ring to its peak. In the realm of transcendence that slowed down as if forcibly stopping the hands of the clock, he read Briana's swordsmanship in detail.
"The subtleties of swordsmanship haven't changed much. Except for one."
The sword subtleties contained in this Supreme Sword are still strong sword, fast sword, precision sword, and observant sword. But among them, the subtlety of the explosive sword that condenses and explodes aura had infiltrated.
"I need to break that swordsmanship before the aura condenses. For that..."
Raon let out an excited laugh as he raised the Heavenly Drive.
"I just need to make more swords than the stars."
The Flame World Tree blooms on the red-hot blade. Splendid and majestic flower petals rise with the wind and face the Supreme Sword technique that pours black. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation Heavenly Drive Fire Spirit. But this isn't the Fire Spirit he always used. Because within the countless fragments of flame, different sword subtleties were harmonized.
Light and fast, heavy and slow, strong, enveloped in wind, intertwined with lightning, erratic and sharp. The countless fragments of flame bloomed like flowers, clashing with the sword strike that seemed to contain the universe. Boom!
The Supreme Sword technique was pushed as if to devour the Fire Spirit, but the flame fragments spread slightly like fireflies illuminating the darkness and began to burn the sword strike containing the universe. Whoosh! Like tiny sparks causing a massive conflagration, the fine fragments of Fire Spirit each drew different movements and completely burned the Supreme Sword technique that Briana had unleashed with all her strength, leaving not a single aura behind. Whoosh!
The flame fragments, as if they had completed their task, withered into dry petals and vanished.
"Huh?"
Briana's jaw trembled as she looked at the dying embers on the ground, seemingly unable to believe that the Supreme Sword technique she had put all her strength into could be blocked.
"I-Impossible. How could this..."
She looked at Raon with eyes seeking answers, as if she couldn't understand.
"If you want the answer, get up and attack me again."
Raon pointed the still-hot blade of the Heavenly Drive toward Briana.
"If you beat me, I'll give you the answer."
He curled his lips, using the same words she did.
***
Boom! Unable to deflect Raon's sword, Briana was pushed back, creating deep cracks in the training ground floor.
"Ugh..."
As she lifted her stiff neck, she saw Raon standing in the same spot, unfazed.
"Is this even possible?"
Raon was clearly a swordsman who focused on the amount of aura and the power of swordsmanship rather than understanding forms. But as if he had some kind of awakening while fighting her, he was now perfectly embodying forms with only the necessary sword subtleties for each situation. She couldn't understand how such growth was possible in this short time.
-What are you doing! Why are you only taking hits!
Brigitte in her mind shouted at her to fight properly.
-You're not going to lose to this kid, are you?!
"Shut up."
She gripped her sword with trembling hands, erasing Brigitte's voice.
"I won't lose. Just watch."
She didn't know how many times she had died at Raon's hands so far. Although her strength was depleted and her head was spinning, she couldn't collapse in defeat like this.
"Hah!"
Briana took a deep breath and thrust the essence of the Supreme Sword toward Raon. Clang! But Raon, as if he had already deciphered the Supreme Sword, received her sword without the slightest tremor and counterattacked. Whoosh! Briana barely dodged Raon's sword and bit her lip.
"Damn it..."
Unlike Raon, who understood her swordsmanship, she still couldn't feel his sword. But that was inevitable.
"Even I can't comprehend all the swordsmanship in the world."
Raon kept changing the subtleties of the swordsmanship he was using. He was throwing new subtleties at the swordsmanship she had just seen, so, even though she prided herself on her eye for swordsmanship, it was pointless. It felt as if all the countless hours she had dedicated to swordsmanship were in vain.
"Is this what a true monster is..."
Unable to contain her frustration, Briana unconsciously opened her lips.
"Talent that even ignores time."
"I told you."
Raon shook his head, looking at Briana's wavering eyes.
"I've also dedicated millions of hours to swordsmanship. If you look properly, you should be able to feel it." (N/T: Raon casually says he spent hundreds of years practicing swordsmanship - Wait, wrong, wrong, don't count, the numbers aren't real anyway)
He thrust his sword in front of her as if to tell her to look properly.
"Properly?"
Briana swallowed dry saliva as she looked at Raon's sword extending straight like the horizon.
"Wait. That sword..."
It's not something made with simple talent. She could feel countless branches intertwined in what seemed like a single sword strike. This wasn't a sword drawn in one go, but the product of effort poured in over countless hours, just like her.
"He's like me."
This kid was also a swordsman who had trained in the mental world like her. Sensing that someone similar to her had lived a similar life, the feeling of helplessness that weighed on her shoulders turned into euphoria, filling her chest. Clang! Briana struck Raon's incoming sword and curled her lips.
"This is fun."
I want to keep fighting! Unlike when she was swinging her sword alone in the mental world, vitality and joy began to overflow from her entire body and mind. Meeting a companion made this simple process of blocking and swinging swords feel so enjoyable. Whoosh!
Briana sank deeper into the infinite world of swordsmanship with Raon in front of her.
***
"Huh?"
Raon blinked as he watched Briana, who had frozen holding her sword, lost in a trance.
'Again?'
Just as Thespian Emperor had fallen into a trance, this time Briana and Brigitte had entered a state of enlightenment.
'This is ridiculous'.
He came here to form an alliance with the Five Divine Orders, but he didn't expect to put their leaders into a trance. It was something he hadn't anticipated at all, which caused an ironic laugh to escape his lips.
- ¡Puhehehehe!
Wrath suddenly burst into laughter, pointing at him.
- ¡Indeed, sometimes you do good things for others!
He laughed, saying he now understood his own heart.
'It's not just about doing good for others'.
Raon shook his head as he lowered the Heavenly Drive.
'I realized something I had forgotten'.
Through the duel with Briana, he felt the joy of swordsmanship and gained the desire to create even better swordsmanship. Thanks to awakening this sensation he knew but had forgotten, a new vitality was emerging in his mind.
'This will be more useful than a half-baked realization'.
He had realized that he shouldn't recklessly add subtleties to swordsmanship, and that he should only introduce what was absolutely necessary, but in actual combat, he didn't practice this realization and only used strong swordsmanship. That wasn't bad, but eventually it would have appeared as a huge wall blocking his path.
But having realized this before bumping into that wall, he was sure he could reach a faster and higher level.
'The Ten Thousand Swords have also grown a level'.
There were no visible changes in his body or aura, but he could feel that the achievement of the Ten Thousand Swords had greatly increased after using all the swordsmanship and subtleties he had learned while dueling with Briana.
-¡Puheng!
Wrath twisted the corners of his mouth and waved his hand.
-¡The ascension of the Ten Thousand Swords is nonsense! In the end, you're just a doormat who puts others in a state of enlightenment!
'I'm not a doormat, I tell you'.
-¡Doormat! ¡Doormat! ¡Jajajaja!
Wrath stuck out his tongue jokingly. It seemed he really wanted to call him a doormat.
'Think what you want...'
Just as Raon laughed at Wrath's chuckle, it happened.
[You have shown the mercy of the Sword God to those who walk the same path.]
[The achievement of the Ten Thousand Swords has increased.]
[All skills...]
[Trait...]
[...]
Messages appeared in front of Wrath, who was sticking out his tongue.
-Urk...
Wrath's eyeballs trembled as he was frozen in his tongue-out pose.
'Seems...'
Raon smiled as he looked at Wrath, who was breathing heavily.
'Seems like you're the only doormat here?'
-
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