Chapter 269

Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Burren's jaw drop.

'I must've arrived in time.'

His eyes were still alive.

He was worried because Judiel was certain that he was being brainwashed, and he fortunately seemed to be alright. His eyes were also clear instead of being cloudy.

"R-Raon Zieghart? How did you get here?"

Gelmia Zieghart's lips were trembling violently. He was unable to hide the astonishment in his eyes.

"I had a guide."

Raon pointed at the blue-haired swordsman standing in front of the door. Gelmia's eyes looked like he wanted to kill him as he glared at him.

"Dire, how dare you…"

"I-It's not true! I didn't do that!"

The swordsman named Dire desperately shook his hand.

"He was a really good guide. It was so easy to arrive here thanks to him."

It was because he simply followed Dire that he managed to arrive without triggering any formations or traps. He'd destroyed the ceiling because he figured Burren might be taken hostage if he entered through the door, and it worked perfectly.

"That's not what I'm talking about!"

Gelmia punched the wall with his fist. Even though the secret room's door was extremely solid, it turned to powder and collapsed.

"I'm asking how did you find out that Burren was here?"

"Ah, you were curious about that? Actually…"

Raon snickered and shrugged his shoulders.

"Nevermind. I don't need to tell you."

"You bastard…"

A crushing sound could be heard from Gelmia's mouth. He must've been extremely angry.

"But I'll tell you one thing."

Raon raised his finger to point at Burren behind him.

"You underestimated your brother too much."

"What?"

"Burren has the strongest sense of responsibility among the Light Wind swordsmen. He's so stubborn that he would personally visit to explain his situation to everyone if he couldn't participate in training."

It didn't make any sense that the stubborn vice-vice squad leader of the Light Wind squad would send his butler to notify Raon that he was going to skip training.

"Hmm…"

Burren bit his lip while watching Raon's back.

His heart was pounding violently, probably because he was complimented in that situation. Tears were almost welling up in his eyes because he was so thankful to Raon, who'd acknowledged him and came to save him.

"Raon, thank yo…"

"Why are you even calling me? You should be ashamed that you got locked up like an idiot."

"Argh!"

His heart suddenly stopped pounding upon hearing his unexpectedly cold answer.

"What happened to Goman and the Severing Steads?"

"You should find it out on your own."

Raon responded while laughing at him. Even the place above the destroyed ceiling was specially built as a part of the secret room. Raon guessed that Gelmia couldn't determine what was happening outside.

"If you can, that is."

Since he was planning to completely destroy Gelmia's composure, he played around without answering his question.

"You bastard…"

Frightening pressure emerged from Gelmia. He looked like he would start attacking at any moment.

'It worked.'

Even a Master couldn't avoid that.

Because Gelmia was discovered kidnapping his brother, he ended up losing his composure and seemed completely confused.

"Why did you even get locked up here?"

Raon turned his head to look at Burren.

"Th-That's…"

"Why are you even hesitating? Do you still consider that thing your brother?"

Raon pointed his finger at Gelmia, who was rolling his eyes and trying to find a way to get out of the situation.

"Haa, alright. That's true. He's not my brother anymore."

Burren exhaled the grudge against him through a long breath and chuckled.

"He was targeting you. He said that he wanted to kill you before you reach even higher."

He continued while glaring at Gelmia with cold eyes.

"He said that he needed my help in order to kill you. He wanted me to find out your weakness and lure you to a location of his choosing."

"Burren!"

Gelmia screamed, but Burren didn't stop speaking.

"I refused and he made that guy start brainwashing me."

Burren pointed at Olan with his chin. Olan's hand was trembling as he stood next to Gelmia.

"Wow, that's really amazing."

Raon sneered while looking at Gelmia's glowing eyes.

'Everything was exactly the way I expected it to be…'

Just like he'd guessed in the beginning, Gelmia was trying to use Burren in order to get rid of him. An older brother kidnapping his younger brother in order to brainwash him was truly the worst.

"It's my first time seeing someone falling even lower than dog food."

Most of the warriors he'd met before carried a weight that matched their prowess. Even though Gelmia was more accomplished as a swordsman than himself, what he'd done made him look like the smallest person in the world.

"Are you so afraid of me?"

Raon grinned at Gelmia, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Shut up before I cut your mouth off of your face."

Gelmia shouted in a threatening voice and unsheathed his sword. His sword, slightly thicker than a rapier, was a thin sword that could be also used for slashing.

"Burren, is your mind alright?"

"I can even fight!"

Burren bit his lip tightly and nodded.

"What a relief."

Raon chuckled, drawing Heavenly Drive. He swirled his right hand, which was holding the sword, as if he were trying to warm up his wrist.

Rattle!

Before the sword made an entire circle to return to the original place, the handcuffs and shackles binding Burren were ripped apart.

"Uhah…"

Burren was unable to keep his balance and ended up falling forward.

"D-Don't worry! It only happened because I've been tied up for a long time."

He shook his head and immediately stood up to show that he was fine. However, his trembling limbs revealed that he was having difficulties, despite what he'd said.

"Hmm…"

Raon nodded while looking at Burren's firm eyes instead of his body.

'Pretty good.'

It was difficult to believe that his pressure was coming from someone who'd been tied up for a week while being brainwashed. He could also feel a strange energy flowing over his head and a frightening amount of focus from him.

Hmm, he's entered an awakening state.

Wrath furrowed his brows while looking at Burren.

'Awakening state?'

It's the state before the trance that you enter pretty much every day. The person's focus becomes extremely high in that state.

'It does look similar.'

Whenever he endured for a long time without sleeping, his urge to sleep suddenly disappeared and his mind became extremely clear from time to time.

Burren's state was similar to that, either because of the brainwashing or because of the particular situation.

'There's no way I'm not making use of this.'

Raon pointed his sword at Gelmia.

"Shall we get started?"

Raon violently kicked the ground and charged forward.

"Fine. I'll cut your arrogant mouth off as a starter!"

Gelmia caught his breath and controlled his aura. The frightening energy wave rushing from him felt like a huge and sharp spear piercing his heart.

Thud!

After pretending to charge towards Gelmia, Raon used Supreme Harmony's third step. He changed directions like flowing water and kicked Dire away from the door.

Smack!

Because it was such a sudden attack, Dire was slammed into the wall before he could even start screaming, dropping the sword from his hand.

Tap!

Raon easily took the sword and withdrew next to Burren.

He's giving you his sword now after guiding the way. What an idiot, he's a giving guy.

'Hmm…'

Raon barely managed to suppress the urge to respond 'not as much as you'.

"Take this."

Raon gave the sword he'd just obtained to Burren and pointed at Olan.

"You can defeat that guy at least, right?"

"Of course!"

Burren exhaled roughly and stood up, tightly grasping his sword. His eyes were brimming with fighting spirit as he looked at Olan.

"Let's get started then."

Raon smiled faintly and used Supreme Harmony's first step.

Thud!

He pierced into the distance between him and Gelmia, getting a frightening feeling from above as he was about to slash upwards. It was an astral blade. Gelmia's astral energy, powerful enough to smash his skull, was falling towards him.

'His might is the real deal.'

The way he immediately swung down his sword by predicting the Supreme Harmony Steps' speed and direction was befitting the rumored Sword of Pleasant Wind Gelmia.

'However.'

Raon strengthened his left foot and turned at the waist.  He incorporated the rotation coming from the muscles along his spine to his blade and unleashed the Revolving Sky from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

Rumble!

The collision between the heat rotating like saw blades on his sword and the blue energy of wind in Gelmia's thin sword created a tremendous shockwave. Even though the secret room's walls were extremely solid, they were shredded to pieces.

"This place is too narrow, isn't it?"

Raon stomped the ground and forced Heavenly Drive into an upward swing at full power. Because it happened in the middle of a clash, the tremendous power made Gelmia soar into the hole in the ceiling.

"Y-You bastard!"

"I'll follow you right after. Just you wait."

Raon waved his hand at Gelmia as he flew into the air and turned around.

"Don't die, because many p-people are waiting for you."

Raon stuttered the word people slightly for some reason, then jumped into the broken ceiling to follow Gelmia.

"Don't worry."

Burren bit his lip tightly and nodded.

"I have no intention of dying in a place like this."

"Hah…"

Olan exclaimed and walked towards the center.

"Raon Zieghart is exactly as the rumors described him. I can understand why Young Master Gelmia decided to do something like this."

He shook his head while looking up to the destroyed ceiling.

"Draw your sword."

Burren pointed his sword at Olan.

"Sword? What's the point of that in this situation? I'm bound to die whether I win or lose."

He raised his hands, saying that it was already all over.

"You seemed rather angry when I told you earlier that I could win against you. Am I wrong?"

"Hmm…"

"I'll let you confirm that I was right about that before you go. Bring it on."

"You are so bad at provoking people, unlike the monster that just went upwards."

Olan snickered and drew his sword.

"Since I'm going to die anyway, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring a member of Zieghart's direct line with me."

He kicked the ground before even finishing his sentence. He lunged from Burren's left side for a downward slash.

As the silver blade drew a semi-circular trajectory, it multiplied into five. The fast and flashy strike was evidence that he'd properly trained his swordsmanship.

Clang!

Burren tried to deflect his blow by using all of the aura sleeping in his energy center, but Olan used his strength instead to push into him even faster.

"I told you already."

Olan snorted and raised his chin.

"No matter how talented you are, you can't win against time. You haven't reached my level yet."

"Time? Level? Those things have shattered countless times under my watch."

Burren clenched his teeth softly and deflected the blow. His strike that was blocking Olan's assault looked as elegant and aloof as a noble's dance.

Cring!

The collision between the blades created a frightening metallic sound.

'I won't be able to last long.'

Because he'd been tied up and was unable to sleep for a whole week, it was impossible to last for a long time. It was necessary to shatter Olan's technique in a single strike.

Whoosh!

However, Olan's sword kept charging towards him with flashy varieties and extreme power. It was difficult to figure out where he was targeting, and the speed was making it even more difficult to block.

"Haa…"

Burren caught his breath, then remembered the conversation he had with Raon before.

"How to defeat an illusion sword and a variable sword? It's simple. Most of the illusion and variable swords reveal their true form at the very end. You will be able to see their trajectories if you overcome your fear and impatience and wait until the end."

That was Raon's answer to Burren's question about how he managed to erase Garon's variation when he was a Master back then.

'He's always been like that.'

Whenever he asked Raon about martial arts, he always gave him an answer. Other people would've tried hiding the secret no matter what, but he'd never done that. He was such a strange guy, one who came back the next day to give him the answer if he had difficulties finding the right answer.

'How can I ever betray an idiot like him?'

Burren bit his lip and looked straight into Olan's sword as it charged towards his neck and chest. He suppressed the urge to withdraw or swing his sword right away, instead keeping his eyes on it until the very end.

Whoosh!

Right before Olan's sword reached him, the five blades combined into one and started descending towards his chest instead of striking his neck.

'Now is the time!'

Burren grasped the hilt of his sword tightly and unleashed the Barren Wind Sword's Azure Star's Blade of Wind. The wind blade connected itself like a constellation to deflect Olan's sword, which had stopped changing, and pierced into his shoulder.

"Kuh!"

Olan hurriedly tried to step back, but it was the worst mistake he could have made. The best part about Barren Wind Sword was that the attacks continued one after the other once it got started.

Rip!

The deadly wind in his blade cut apart Olan's shoulder before he could escape.

"Kuh…"

Lacerated from shoulder to waist, Olan sank on the ground with a trembling chin. His eyes were full of disbelief as he looked up to Burren.

"H-How…?"

"You told me that I would be looking at Raon's back for the rest of my life, right?"

Burren exhaled in exhaustion after sticking his sword into the ground.

"You are right about that. It would be difficult for me to surpass Raon. However, I haven't been simply watching his back. I hardened my foundations while watching Raon's fights from up close."

He smiled while tightening the grip on his sword.

"I'm different from you guys, who are trying to kill Raon because you gave up on competing against him."

"Ah…"

"You won't be allowed to die an easy death. You shall pay the price for your sins before you go."

Burren smacked him with his fist to make him faint and stopped his bleeding.

"Haa…"

He fell on his ass because all of his strength left his body. He sighed deeply and raised his head.

"How did I manage to complete the Azure Star's Blade of Wind in this situation…?"

He could only laugh because he'd managed to use a technique he'd never succeeded in using before.

"Haa!"

Burren licked his lips while looking up to the ceiling.

"I kept my promise."

* * *

"It looks like they are done below us."

Raon smiled faintly at Gelmia as his sword clashed against his.

"We should get started as well."

"I'll give you one last opportunity."

With a twisted upward swing of his rapier, Gelmia gained distance.

"Leave now. I can cover up the situation if you do."

"Are you telling me that you can cover up this situation?"

Raon snickered while listening to the shouts coming from the ceiling, which was even more broken than before.

"We are currently inside the Central Martial Palace. Even the department of justice can't easily interfere."

"We are interfering though."

"Other people aren't as crazy as you!"

Gelmia scowled while showing his white teeth.

"I'll give Burren back to you. If you stay silent as if nothing happened, I won't punish you for your crimes."

"Are you defective? No, you must be lacking this thing here."

Raon tapped his forehead with his finger. He called him brainless, and Gelmia's eyes turned cold.

"You are the ones who committed a crime. I only came here to find my underling."

"You must've lost your fear."

Threatening pressure emerged from Gelmia's body.

"Why would I be afraid of you when you kidnapped your brother and brainwashed him because you were so afraid of a junior?"

"I was only afraid of your future. I can easily kill you in your current state!"

The sharp pressure emanating from him felt like it could rip his skin apart. Even though he played dirty, he was certainly at the intermediate level of Master.

"This is your last opportunity. Withdraw with everyone, and stay quiet as if nothing happened."

"I'm sorry, but it's already too late."

Raon grinned, while pointing his finger to the top.

"Because I already called the department of justice. Can't you hear the sound of their whistles?"

He had already sent a letter to the department of justice so that they could arrive after the Light Wind defeated the Severing Steads. It was about time the swordsmen from the department of justice barged in.

You are really crazy.

Wrath gasped while watching Gemlia's face turn red before turning yellow.

The King of Essence has never seen anyone mock his opponent so much. The King of Essence needs lessons from you, because there's someone he would like to make fun of…

'Later.'

He pushed Wrath away as he said that he would give the fee after the lesson ended, focusing on Gelmia instead.

"Raon Zieghart!"

Gelmia kicked the ground, unable to suppress his anger. His face was distorted like a fiend as he tried stabbing him with his rapier. The astral blade incorporating the wind reached his heart in an instant.

It was a precise strike, coming from an extreme speed. A shiver ran down his spine from the prowess.

"Haap."

Raon extended his left foot and lowered his body. He gathered his physical strength all the way from the tip of his toes, then added the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's energy that went past the middle energy center.

Clang!

Heavenly Drive, engulfed in the astral energy of raging flames, clashed against Gelmia's extremely fast stab.

Whaam!

The contest between Heavenly Drive and the thin sword at around shoulder's height created a storm of crimson flame, covering the underground.

"I'm at the intermediate level of Master! I can kill you whenever I feel like it, since you are only at the beginner level!"

"Beginner, intermediate, and advanced only matter when you are training."

Raon smiled coldly while looking down on Gelmia, whose forehead was touching his.

"Rank doesn't matter once the fight begins. You should talk with your sword if you are a real warrior."

He incorporated Coiling Power into the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's astral energy. The raging firestorm bursting from his blade mercilessly scorched Gelmia's wind.

"So you chose punishment in the end. Alright."

Gelmia pointed at Raon's heart with his thin sword, glaring at him with the intention of killing him.

"I'll start by cutting out your arrogant tongue."

The energy of wind coming from him became powerful enough to make his ears ring. It was the full power of an intermediate Master. He was using all of his strength.

"It's finally getting interesting."

Crimson lightning sparked from Raon's eyes.

"Come at me."