Chapter 1155
"That was a high-quality display."
Glenn wrapped up the bout between Raon and Blade Queen Siera with a stoic air, acting as though the result was a foregone conclusion. Nevertheless, the tips of his ears had flushed a deep crimson, as if he were secretly bursting with pride at the heights Raon had attained.
"Karoon, you are next."
Glenn summoned Karoon, who had been observing with his arms folded, to initiate the second duel of the day.
"Acknowledged."
Karoon moved to the center with a disciplined gait, showing no surprise at being called upon.
"And for your opponent..."
Glenn’s eyes shifted between Warlord Yuber and Alice. After a moment of deliberation, he slowly signaled his choice.
"Warlord Yuber."
He opted for the Warlord instead of Alice, despite the fact that she and Karoon had been engaging in daily practice sessions.
"Understood."
Warlord Yuber offered a response as concise as Karoon’s and took his place across from his lord.
"Hey, what gives! Father! Don't forget about your own daughter!"
Alice erupted in protest, hopping around like a frustrated child, complaining that she would be left without anyone to fight.
"Hmm..."
Glenn chose to ignore Alice’s energetic antics entirely, focusing his full attention back on Karoon and the Warlord.
"Treat this as a true life-and-death struggle."
Glenn commanded them to engage with the same lethal intensity Raon and the Blade Queen had shown, before stepping back to give them space. The screech of steel against scabbards cut through the air! In a departure from the previous match, Karoon and the Warlord did not move immediately; they stood rooted, tracking each other's slightest twitches as they bared their blades. The sound of the sword and the heavy blade being drawn resonated with a chilling finality across the grounds.
"..."
"..."
Even with weapons in hand, Karoon and the Warlord remained deathly still, locking eyes with a frigid composure. A murderous frost seemed to bleed from their feet, chilling the very atmosphere of the training area. The vibe was the polar opposite of the explosive start of the prior duel.
"Ugh..."
"I... I can barely draw a breath."
"It feels like Lord Karoon’s edge is pressed right against my throat."
"The realm of Transcendents is truly terrifying..."
Unlike the awe they felt during Raon’s fight, the watching martial artists now swallowed hard, overwhelmed by the suffocating tension.
"Hmm."
Raon made a small sound of contemplation as he observed the silent standoff.
'Did he intentionally pair two people with such mirroring philosophies?'
Both Karoon and the Warlord were pragmatic, icy combatants who specialized in dismantling an opponent by finding a single crack in their defense. Right now, they were motionless because they were both sharpening their intent to a razor's edge, waiting for the other to blink.
'Karoon has clearly evolved.'
In the past, Karoon would have struggled to even stand in the Warlord's shadow, but his relentless sparring with Alice had forged him into something new. While the Warlord likely still held the upper hand, Karoon now possessed the martial weight required to stand as a true peer.
'Yet, he needs more.'
For Zieghart to emerge victorious in the looming conflict with Derus, Karoon’s growth was essential. Raon found himself hoping that Karoon would reach a level where he could at least hold his own against the lesser Archangels.
'How ironic. To find myself rooting for his improvement.'
The realization that he was actively wishing for the strength of a man who was once his bitter rival—and that he had orchestrated this very training—brought a faint smirk to Raon's face. The old adage that there are no permanent friends or foes felt particularly relevant.
'But there is one exception...'
His expression hardened, and he bit his lip as he watched the two warriors level their blades.
'Derus Robert.'
It didn't matter what justifications or history that man claimed. Raon intended to erase him and every single one of his subordinates from the face of the earth.
"Hoo."
While Raon was lost in thought, Sylvia and Sia made their way to his side.
"Raon! Are you alright? Tell me you aren't wounded."
She began franticly laying out piles of medicinal salves and clean bandages, clearly shaken by the intensity of his clash with the Blade Queen.
"You can't just ignore the pain! We need to treat this now!"
Sia joined in, hovering over him with rolls of gauze, insisting that he shouldn't try to be a stoic hero.
"I—I'm perfectly fine. Truly, not a scratch on me!"
Raon tried to wave them off, but Sylvia began a thorough inspection of his person, terrified that he was hiding some internal injury from the fight.
"Look at your clothes, they're in tatters! Get into these clean ones immediately. You’ll catch a chill."
Sylvia produced a fresh set of training robes, pointing out where the Blade Queen’s sharp energy had shredded his original outfit.
"Ugh..."
Raon shut his eyes tight. Against anyone else, he would have vanished or stood his ground, but in the face of Sylvia and Sia, he was utterly powerless to resist.
-Just take it with grace. This is the phenomenon of maternal devotion.
Wrath gave a solemn nod, acknowledging that this was a force of nature even he respected.
"Wow..."
"So even the Master of the Light Wind can't win a fight against his mother."
"My mom does the exact same thing to me."
"I guess life is the same for everyone, no matter how strong you are."
The gathered warriors shared a collective smile, feeling a renewed sense of kinship with Raon as they watched his "human" side emerge from behind his divine combat persona.
-On the other hand...
Wrath let out a bored, irritated groan as he looked toward the center of the field.
-When are these two actually going to swing?
He scowled at Karoon and the Warlord, who were still standing like statues with their weapons pointed at one another.
-Tell them to either strike or go home!
Wrath began biting his lip in frustration, claiming that the lack of action was physically painful.
'Doing what they're doing is harder than actually swinging a sword.'
Raon countered silently, shaking his head.
'They are burning through their mental and physical reserves at an incredible rate.'
Even though they appeared still, Karoon and the Warlord were locked in a high-speed cerebral battle, analyzing every possible opening while reinforcing their own mental walls.
-You think the King of Essence doesn't realize that?
Wrath’s brow furrowed.
-I'm complaining because it’s boring to watch!
He gestured wildly, demanding that they get on with the violence.
'Why is a Great Demon King so lacking in patience?'
Just as Raon let out a sigh...
"Argh, you martial artists and your petty posturing make me sick!"
Alice stamped her foot in a fit of pique and unsheathed her own weapon.
"Both of you, deal with me!"
She sprinted toward the two frozen men, screaming that she had reached her limit for waiting. With a savage arc! Alice unleashed a shimmering blue wave of energy that forced both Karoon and the Warlord to react simultaneously, a wide, chaotic grin spreading across her face.
"You absolute lunatic!"
Karoon’s eyes snapped wide as he was forced to pivot his sword mid-thought.
"Ha..."
The Warlord let out a dry, incredulous chuckle as he shifted into a defensive stance, clearly caught off guard by the interference. A massive shockwave rippled through the training grounds as Alice’s strike smashed into the combined defenses of the two men.
"If you're going to fight, then do it! Why should I be left out of the fun?"
Alice launched another volley of strikes at both of them, effectively turning the duel into a chaotic three-way brawl.
"You are an absolute embarrassment to the family name!"
Karoon ground his teeth, parrying Alice's reckless blow and firing back with a lethal counter.
"Actually, this might be more interesting."
The Warlord smoothly brushed aside Alice's blade before snapping a low, lethal horizontal strike toward Karoon's midsection.
"Hmm?"
Feeling the Warlord's blade coming for his blind spot, Karoon had to violently jerk his sword away from Alice to intercept the new threat. Clang! He managed to block it, but his arms vibrated from the sheer mass behind the Warlord's heavy blow.
"Are we seriously doing this?"
Karoon glared at the Warlord with a deep frown.
"In a real war, do you think enemies wait their turn?"
The Warlord offered a nonchalant shrug, implying that this chaos was better preparation for the reality of the front lines.
"Ahahaha! That’s the spirit! Let’s go!"
Alice roared with laughter and dove headlong at the Warlord.
"Hmm!"
Aware of Alice’s pursuit, the Warlord didn't hesitate to drop a blade heavy with freezing energy onto Karoon.
"Fine! I'll break you both!"
Karoon steeled himself and surged forward, his blade igniting with a fierce fighting aura. His swordsmanship became an expression of pure dominance, putting immense pressure on the other two Transcendents. As the three masters unleashed their full power, Glenn’s protective sword barrier began to buckle and warp under the strain.
"Oh! I want to get back in there too..."
The Blade Queen paced nervously, looking like she was ready to leap into the fray despite being physically exhausted.
"This is madness..."
"Is this even allowed? Why are three people fighting each other?"
"I guess Transcendents are all a little crazy."
"No, I think it’s specifically Lady Alice who’s the crazy one."
The other swordsmen just watched in stunned silence, unable to wrap their heads around the chaotic spectacle.
"Lord Head of House."
Raon walked over to Glenn and gave a slight nod of respect.
"Should I step in and stop them..."
"No, let them be."
Glenn dismissed the idea with a calm wave of his hand.
"The Warlord is correct. The battlefield is rarely a fair duel. Experiencing this kind of unpredictability now is a valuable lesson."
He nodded, watching the chaos with a settled expression.
"Furthermore, there is much to be gleaned from observing this."
Glenn’s eyes were like a hawk’s, recording every nuance of the three-way struggle without missing a single detail.
"You should watch them closely and reflect."
He tilted his head slightly, beckoning Raon to stand closer to him.
"Think about what knowledge you can extract from this mess."
With that, Glenn fell silent, his focus absolute.
"Yes, sir."
Though Raon wasn't entirely sure what specific lesson Glenn was hinting at, he locked his eyes on the shifting movements of Karoon, the Warlord, and Alice.
'What can I gain...'
The combat sessions among the swordsmen at the lord's training ground persisted until the sun began to dip below the horizon, and the final bout was drawing to a close.
"Mother! I'm ending this now!"
Sia smirked as she drove a fierce overhead strike toward Sylvia. The Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art, techniques she had learned from Raon, surged through her movements with a predatory grace.
"Eek..."
Sylvia let out a small gasp at her daughter’s intimidating display of skill, but she didn't retreat. She moved with nimble footwork and swung her blade, causing a brilliant radiance to erupt from the steel. The Radiant Light Flow, another technique shared by Raon, manifested as a blinding burst of energy. A massive collision echoed through the air!
The blinding light Sylvia conjured overran the beastly fangs and the icy winds, coming to a halt just inches from Sia’s chest.
"I... I lost..."
Sia bit her lip, looking genuinely stunned by her defeat. Even though her opponent was her mother, the sting of loss brought tears to her eyes.
"Huff... huff... See? I'm still the stronger one, Sia."
Sylvia lowered her weapon, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.
"But I really hate this..."
She sniffled, declaring that she never wanted to have a real fight with her daughter ever again.
"Mom!"
"Sia!"
The two women dropped their swords and rushed into a tearful embrace.
"Sigh..."
Raon let out a long breath and covered his eyes, clearly mortified by the emotional display of his family members.
"Ahem!"
Glenn’s lips twitched. He didn't look like a stern lord watching a duel; he looked like a grandfather struggling to hide his affection for his daughter and granddaughter.
"This is unbelievable..."
"Those two aren't even professional soldiers."
"Are they... wait, are they basically at the level of a Palace Master now?"
"Is the annex building actually the strongest unit in all of Zieghart?"
"Probably. Think about it. The Gambling Monster, the Blade Queen, and the Warlord all live there!"
The surrounding warriors were left speechless, floored by the latent power Sylvia and Sia had displayed.
"Well done, everyone."
Glenn returned to the raised dais and stroked his beard as the crowd began to settle from their shock.
"The goal of today’s exercises was to identify your specific proficiencies and your flaws. I chose your opponents specifically to highlight those traits, and you all performed admirably."
He blinked slowly, noting that because everyone fought with sincerity, he had been able to gather precise data on every individual's progress.
"Now, I will provide a breakdown of your strengths and weaknesses based on the order of the duels. Take my observations, contemplate how to evolve your style, and have your thoughts organized by tomorrow morning."
Glenn took a breath and turned his gaze toward the Blade Queen and Raon, the pair from the first match.
"Blade Queen Siera. Your greatest asset is that you possess raw destructive force and momentum that exceeds traditional blade arts, yet you haven't lost the subtle nuances of a sword. However, your flaw is the inverse: you haven't fully committed to the spiritual essence of the sword. Against an inferior opponent, your current style is overwhelming, but against a peer or a superior, that lack of depth will be your undoing."
He shook his head, pointing out that while her strikes were powerful, they lacked the rhythmic breathing and fluid transitions required at her level of mastery.
"You have two paths forward."
Glenn held up two fingers.
"You must either master the delicate intricacies of pure swordsmanship or push the unique style you’ve built to an even more refined extreme."
He dropped his hand, making it clear the choice was hers to make.
"I understand!"
The Blade Queen smiled, appearing as though she already knew which path she would take.
"Now, moving on..."
Glenn’s eyes moved toward Raon.
"Hmm!"
Raon felt his throat go dry as he waited for his critique, but Glenn’s eyes skipped over him entirely and landed on the next person in line.
"Central Martial Palace Master Karoon Zieghart."
"Wait...?"
Raon blinked in confusion, staring at Glenn, who had completely bypassed him.
'What's happening? Why didn't he say anything to me?'
