C1076
"My answer is always the same."
Raon extended his right hand not towards Darkan, who had asked the question, but towards Glenn.
"An unyielding sword that doesn't bow to anyone, a strong sword that remains unshaken through any storm. That is the sword I desire."
He recalled the vow he had declared to Vulcan in the coal furnace and had maintained until now.
"A sword that doesn't bow to anyone..."
Glenn sketched a slight smile, as if pleased with his answer.
"Not bad?"
Darkan smiled as he drew a semicircle with his hand.
"If you keep stabbing with an unyielding sword, you could eventually cut Derus's soul no matter how vast it is."
He laughed, suggesting that his Soul Weapon might be the answer.
"However, there's a problem."
Darkan raised his index finger.
"No matter how thick and sturdy your Soul Weapon is, if the blade is dull, you won't be able to cut his soul."
He looked at Glenn as if asking for his opinion.
"You're not wrong. The Soul Weapon must be sharper than a physical blade."
Glenn nodded, saying that one must sharpen the blade of the soul like a master forging a remarkable sword.
"Of course, I deliberately made it dull!"
Darkan shrugged, explaining that he hadn't sharpened the edge of his Soul Weapon because he wanted to summon the enemy's soul into his Mental Image.
"Anyway, we've come to an understanding."
Darkan smiled brightly as he extended his hand to Glenn.
"Looks like you and I will have a lot to do during the next month?"
"Indeed."
Despite his words of agreement, Glenn didn't take Darkan's hand, but instead closed and opened his eyes.
"Since minds are clearest in the morning, you develop his Will, and I will improve his techniques in the afternoon."
Darkan moved his finger, suggesting they divide their time teaching Raon.
"And finally, at night, let's talk about the Soul Weapon among the three of us."
"You, why are you so serious?"
Glenn frowned as he looked at Darkan.
“Because this moment is the sword itself.”
Darkan maintained a solemn posture as he expressed that life itself was the sword.
"...I understand."
Glenn seemed to sense Darkan's sincerity and accepted his opinion.
"Then I'll just observe."
Despite saying he would observe, Darkan remained standing where he was without retreating. He was truly an extraordinary person.
"Raon."
Glenn called to Raon, ignoring Darkan.
"Yes, sir."
Raon approached Glenn and bowed his head.
"Come to think of it, something puzzles me."
Glenn narrowed his eyes.
"Your Will has always been at a higher level than your swordsmanship, and your soul realm has increased even further, so why has the Will in your sword weakened?"
He frowned, showing his confusion.
"I'm not sure either."
Raon licked his lips as he looked down.
'Grandfather is right.'
He hadn't neglected his Mental Image training, so he was also surprised to hear that his Will was deficient.
-Sure, that old baker Nadine might not know, but...
Wrath perched on his shoulder.
-Shouldn't you know?
He frowned as if wondering why Raon couldn't realize it.
'What?'
Raon's eyes widened as he looked at Wrath.
'What do you mean?'
-Your Will is strong, but it's weakened.
Wrath shook his head, telling him to understand this correctly.
'It's weakened?'
-What do you think Will is?
'It's the power that manifests through the soul when you desire for imagination to become reality.'
Will was pouring that intense desire to transform the mental image into reality into the sword.
-That's roughly correct. However, you...
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he looked at him.
-You've mixed something else into that Will.
'Something else?'
-The Authority of myself and other demon kings.
His eyes shone with a cold blue light.
-Those Authorities were a great help during the life-or-death battles, but consequently, your Will has weakened proportionally.
'Ah, so that's why...'
-Since the Authority of the demon kings fulfilled your desires, it's natural that your Will has weakened.
Wrath snorted as if mocking his inability to properly handle his own power.
'Now I understand.'
He now understood why Glenn felt his Will was weak and why he himself hadn't noticed its weakening.
'Authority wasn't an omnipotent power.'
He had thought it only granted benefits, but now he realized it was a dangerous power that could also harm him.
'Then the method to restore it should be simple.'
Raon thought about how to recover his Will and nodded.
"Raon?"
Glenn called to Raon, who was deep in thought.
"Are you alright?"
"My apologies. I was organizing my thoughts."
Raon bowed his head to Glenn.
"Organizing your thoughts?"
"Grandfather is right. My Will seems to have weakened because I focused on other powers. So..."
He placed his right hand on the Heavenly Drive.
"I would like Grandfather to attack me with swordsmanship imbued with Will."
"Can you handle it?"
Glenn narrowed his eyes as if doubting Raon could handle it now.
"I can do it. No, even if I can't, I must do it."
Raon nodded and unsheathed the Heavenly Drive.
"Very well."
Glenn raised the Heavenly Tremor as if reading the determination in Raon's eyes.
"However, it won't be easy to block."
He swung the Heavenly Tremor downwards with fierce eyes, showing his seriousness. The sword unleashed a destructive energy wave that seemed capable of collapsing the sky, despite not containing strong aura.
"Excellent!"
Darkan clapped as soon as Glenn showed his swordsmanship, acting like his fan. With a resonant clash, Raon blocked Glenn's falling Heavenly Tremor by raising his Heavenly Drive diagonally.
'Will...'
He strengthened his grip on the Heavenly Drive, determined not only to block Glenn's sword but also to push it back.
-Not bad.
Wrath nodded, acknowledging the improvement from before.
"Not bad at all."
Glenn smiled slightly, as if pleased with the start.
"Although it will weaken again, please don't reduce the intensity."
After making his request, Raon invoked the Authority of the demon kings buried deep within his soul. With a crackling sound, six Authorities manifested above the Heavenly Drive, beginning to forcefully push back Glenn's sword.
-You, what are you doing!
Wrath's eyes widened as he demanded to know why Raon was doing something so crazy.
-I told you that relying on Authority weakens your Will!
He touched his forehead, telling Raon to come to his senses.
"Hmm..."
Glenn frowned as if noticing that Raon was using powers other than Will.
"Please, don't stop, continue."
Raon separated the Authority of the demon kings that was trying to infiltrate his Will, saying they shouldn't stop. Instead of combining Will and Authority to wield his sword like before, he made the two forces fight each other. A rumbling sound resonated.
When he made Will and Authority clash, the power in his sword weakened compared to when he used only Will.
With a crackling sound, the Heavenly Drive was pushed back by Glenn's Heavenly Tremor, making his knees almost touch the ground.
"Are you really alright?"
Glenn looked at him with worried eyes.
"Please, continue!"
Raon nodded even though his waist was bending.
-You. What the hell are you trying to do...?
Wrath blinked in disbelief.
-Both Will and Authority aren't being destroyed as they compete!
He patted Raon on the back, telling him to come to his senses.
'This is the answer.'
Raon bit his lip and shook his head.
'Just as muscles tear and regenerate stronger, energy strengthens through conflict.'
The flames of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the frost of the Glacier were opposing properties, so they fought endlessly and strengthened through that conflict. Similarly, if he made Will and Authority fight each other, both forces would probably grow faster as they fought to surpass each other.
'Besides...'
Raon gritted his teeth as he watched Glenn wield his heavy sword with Will.
'With the strongest opponent here, I can't help but get stronger.'
Although his mind felt like it would break from maintaining the battle between Will and Authority while blocking Glenn's sword, such hardships would ultimately lead to his growth. Just as they always had. As he somehow managed to block Glenn's sword without falling, despite almost collapsing...
He felt his soul become thicker.
[Will is growing.]
[The Authority of the Monarchs is strengthening.]
[Soul realm has increased.]
Along with the messages appearing before his eyes, he could feel his sword gaining a slight boost of power. With a resonant sound, Glenn's sword, which had been pressing forward like a tide, was pushed back a stretch for the first time.
'The hard work paid off.'
In half a day, he achieved what he wouldn't have been able to obtain even after ten days of solo training. Indeed, training with Glenn was worth more than a thousand gold pieces.
"Very well."
Glenn also let out a small exclamation, seeming to notice his change.
"Already improved? What is this really?"
Darkan let out a hollow laugh, amazed by the rapid growth.
-Ugh...
Wrath also opened his eyes wide, as if he hadn't expected the messages to appear so quickly.
'See that?'
Raon laughed as he nudged Wrath.
'Children grow by fighting. However...'
He bit his lip deeply as he lifted his blurry eyes.
'This is really hard.'
Trying to control Will and Authority in battle while blocking Glenn's sword was hellish. Although he had only trained for half a day, it felt like he had been wielding his sword for ten days without sleep.
'Still...'
Raon licked his lips as he raised the Heavenly Drive again.
'I must continue.'
To see the end of this path.
"Again."
Raon took his stance again and stood before Glenn.
"Please, once more!"
***
After finishing lunch, Raon faced Darkan in the training ground.
"Now it's my turn."
Darkan smiled brightly, saying he had been waiting.
"What is lacking in my sword?"
Raon clasped his hands in front of him, saying he would listen carefully.
"Harmony."
Darkan waved his hand lightly. A strange sense of stability emanated from the aura rising above his palm.
"Harmony?"
"It's true that your sword is heading towards perfection. I understand why Glenn tries not to interfere with your swordsmanship. However, I'm different."
He raised his finger to point at his eyepatch.
"After losing my eye and having to rely on my other senses, I became extremely sensitive to others' movements."
Darkan continued speaking as he wiped the smile off his face.
"Even without using aura, I can feel the fine hairs on the back of my hand moving with the wind."
He touched the back of his hand, saying that alone was enough to tell him the strength and direction of the wind, even predict the weather.
"Since all my senses except sight have surpassed human limits, my perception of swordsmanship has also changed."
"I suppose so..."
Raon nodded.
"Those senses detected a slight tremor in your sword."
Darkan nodded, saying that because he lacked an eye, he could feel the distortion in Raon's swordsmanship.
"If you adjust that distortion like the strings of a piano, your sword will reach a new level."
He extended his hand, asking if Raon wanted to accept the challenge.
"..."
Glenn stood with his arms crossed, saying nothing, as if agreeing with Darkan's words.
"What should I do?"
Raon took Darkan's hand without hesitation.
"Show me your swordsmanship again before me."
Darkan nodded, telling him to perform the swordsmanship he had shown at dawn.
"Understood."
Raon stabilized his breathing and exhibited the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation swordsmanship in sequence. After performing Revolving Sky, Crimson Slash, and Fire Spirit in succession, Darkan extended his hand just as Raon was about to unleash the Flame Dragon Strike.
"Stop. Do that swordsmanship again."
He gestured with his hand, telling him to perform Fire Spirit again.
"Okay."
Raon nodded and ignited a tree of flames along his blade.
"Again."
Darkan shook his head, still unsatisfied, telling him to do it again. With a hiss, Raon continued performing Fire Spirit, and Darkan repeatedly asked for a repetition. As this continued, countless traces of flame fragments marked the training ground floor like fallen petals.
"Again."
"Understood."
Raon performed Fire Spirit dozens of times without a single complaint.
"Why don't you ask why we keep repeating?"
Darkan rubbed his chin, seeming intrigued.
"You said my sword lacks harmony. Since that hasn't been fixed, we keep repeating."
"Don't you even ask me to explain?"
"Because I need to solve it myself without advice to strengthen myself."
Others' advice only helps momentarily. Finding the solution yourself leads to faster and greater progress.
"Jajajaja!"
Darkan burst into laughter as he held his forehead.
"I truly judged this one well!"
He turned to Glenn with a wide smile.
"You've raised an incredible grandson! Who would have thought I would find something as enviable as your sword!"
Darkan pressed his lips together tightly, showing his sincerity.
"Ahem!"
Hearing Darkan's sincere praise, Glenn's guard lowered and his lips trembled.
"It's not that much."
Seeing his ears turn red, he seemed genuinely happy.
"Don't worry about other things, observe my sword."
Raon strengthened the variable sword technique in his Fire Spirit before unleashing the flames.
"Again."
Darkan asked for another repetition, still unsatisfied.
"Okay."
Raon extended his left foot forward. He slightly weakened the central variable sword and phantom sword techniques in his Fire Spirit while strengthening the rapid sword technique as he pushed his sword forward again. Despite not using much aura, the flames erupting from the Heavenly Drive's blade bloomed beautifully and spread throughout the training ground.
While maintaining the inherent beauty and variation of Fire Spirit, the accelerated flame fragments enveloped Darkan before he could even blink.
The sight resembled the First Patriarch of Zieghart's sword he had seen in his memories.
[Ten Thousand Swords achievement has increased.]
Perhaps because he had gained understanding by himself, a message appeared indicating that his Ten Thousand Swords achievement had increased.
"It seems you've finally started to feel it."
For the first time, Darkan said something akin to a compliment instead of "again".
"Finally..."
Just as Raon nodded with a smile, Darkan spoke again.
"But still, again!"
He gestured with his hand, indicating it still wasn't enough.
"Hah..."
Raon pressed his lips tightly together and shook his head.
'This training is no joke either.'
The unexpected difficulty of the training weakened his legs and made his head ache.
'My mind and body feel as heavy as if they're soaked in water.'
-Seeing you struggle like this makes me so happy!
Wrath wagged his tail, pleased to see Raon's difficulties.
-Still, if you endure, you'll get used to...
'No, I don't need to endure.'
Raon let out a cold laugh as he left the Head of House's training ground and ran towards the fifth training ground.
"Huh?"
"Palace Master. Why are you here?"
"Weren't you training with the Head of House?"
The Light Wind Palace Swordsmen, who had been training quietly, opened their eyes wide at the sight of him.
"I learned interesting training today."
A red madness burned in Raon's eyes.
"I'd like to teach it to all of you."
Despite his thoughts, he showed a bright smile.
"Really?"
"Well, the training of the Head of House and the former Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance must be special!"
"Yes. It won't just be meaningless sword-swinging like we usually do."
The Light Wind Palace Swordsmen licked their lips in anticipation of their training.
"Ugh..."
However, Dorian, reading Raon's terrifying intentions with his Mental Eye, slowly backed away.
"I-I need to escape..."
"Where do you think you're going?"
Raon had already come down from the platform and put his arm around Dorian's shoulders.
"Urk!"
Dorian spat foam from his mouth as if he was about to faint.
"The very good training I learned..."
Raon smiled brightly as he lifted his chin. His appearance seemed both like an angel descending from heaven and a demon rising from hell.
"Let's try it together."
-Hah...
Wrath gaped as if he hadn't expected Raon to relieve stress at the Light Wind Palace.
-They say a tiger father doesn't beget a dog son, but under the world's greatest sword has arisen the world's greatest madman...
-
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