Chapter 487

Martha was almost sliding as she bounced back from the clash along with a tremendous noise that made it feel like the entire arena was collapsing.

Her formerly silky black hair was fluttering in the dusty wind, and the Light Wind division's uniform, which was once clean, now bore the grim evidence of battle. It was smeared with blood and marred by tears in various places.

However, Martha's expression was unaffected. She proudly looked down on Kallon like a general who had gone through all kinds of battles.

Whir!

Martha twisted her wrist, and the energy dwelling on her blade radiated even more brilliantly and stormed around. It had the same color as the setting sun.

"An a-astral blade?"

"What the…?"

"It's astral energy!"

"Miss Rakshasa became a Master!"

"I heard it was possible, but I've never seen anyone awakening during a battle…"

The spectators swallowed nervously while watching the materialized energy emerging from Martha's blade.

Everyone's eyes were filled with surprise because it was extremely rare to awaken during a fight.

"Isn't she the youngest Master after Raon Zieghart, since she is twenty-one years old now?"

"Miss Rakshasa is twenty-two years old. It's still crazy fast though."

"Does Zieghart have a human mine or something? Why are there so many talented people?!"

"Can she win against Kallon now that she has become a Master?"

"That's still difficult."

"Yeah. She has internal injuries and has just become a Master. It's impossible for her to win."

People believed that Martha wouldn't be able to win even though she'd become a Master because Kallon was still perfectly fine.

"Haa…"

Martha didn't mind what other people were saying and only focused on her own body and state.

'I can still fight.'

The biggest advantage of Titan's aura wasn't the power and heaviness but the endurance.

She had lots of external injuries, but her internal injuries weren't that serious. She could keep going without any issues as long as she had the willpower.

Whoosh!

The violent wind removed the dust filling the arena and revealed Kallon's appearance. He was casually spinning the wrist as if he were perfectly unaffected.

Martha furrowed her brow while watching Kallon's face.

'Did his internal injury aggravate?'

The blood flowing down from his mouth seemed to have gotten thicker than before he'd used the astral energy. It looked like the previous clash had inflicted a more serious internal injury on him.

'This is doable.'

Even though Martha couldn't last for too long, it was still winnable since her opponent was also injured internally.

"Amazing."

Kallon smiled while effortlessly raising his sword to show that he was unscathed.

"It was my mistake. I shouldn't have thought of you as an easy opponent."

"Did you finally realize that fact?"

"Yes. I finally realized it. That's why…"

He pulled his sword back and extended his left hand forward. It was a posture for a dashing type technique.

"I'll go all out from now on!"

Kallon kicked the ground before his voice even reached Martha's ears.

The blade engulfed with astral energy was right under her nose before she could even breathe.

'It's too late to fall back.'

Her body was brimming with energy, probably thanks to the awakening. She stomped the ground to create a new resonance throughout her body and instantly swung her sword upwards.

Whoosh!

The sword was moving fast, but the astral energy wasn't even though it should've been following at the same time. It couldn't be helped because she'd become a Master a moment ago, but it was still regrettable.

'I need to brace for impac—Ack!'

The moment she crossed the blade with Kallon's strike, a tremendous impact occurred that felt like her body was going to burst under the pressure.

'Didn't he get an internal injury?'

The sharpness dwelling in Kallon's sword was incomparable from before, showing that he might not have been bluffing about his state.

The astral energy she'd managed to create was getting drastically ground away.

'I feel like my intestines are about to burst.'

She felt like even her will was going to collapse on top of her body from the aftereffect of Berserk, her first utilization of astral energy, and Kallon's pressure. She could hear her mind shouting at her to give up.

"Argh…"

Martha endured the shattering pain of her bones and muscles and looked down from the arena.

It was an action that should've never been taken in front of an opponent, but there was something she wanted to see no matter what.

She rolled her eyes with difficulty to look at Raon. His serene eyes watching her looked like he already knew the result.

'That expression…'

Martha could tell because she'd spent a long time with him. Raon's eyes were telling her that she could do it.

"You are losing focus. Where do you think you are looking?!"

Kallon briefly clicked his tongue and slammed down an even heavier astral energy. The strength was leaving her arm. It felt like the sword was going to be pushed all the way back into her shoulder.

'I need to calm down. I can win this.'

Martha bit her lip while watching Kallon, who was attacking with bloodshot eyes.

'Now that I think about it…'

His attack was ferocious, but he didn't seem to be in a good state either.

The blood flowing from his lips was even thicker than before, and his face was pale.

'That's right. He's human, so he can't be unaffected.'

She had inflicted a deep internal injury with the explosive power of Berserk while Kallon wasn't using the astral energy, and the clash between astral energies must've further aggravated it. There was no way he would be unscathed.

'He is also being impatient!'

Kallon was pretending to be fine, but he must've gotten a serious internal injury. He was going overboard to finish the match before his injury became even worse.

'And Raon was aware of that fact. That's why he looked so calm. In that case, I can't step back now.'

She summoned every last bit of her aura, drawing from the enlightenment she had attained.

The pain in her mana circuits and energy center felt like they were about to burst, but she bit the inside of her cheek and clenched her sword with both hands.

Rumble!

Amid a brain-splitting pain, she activated Berserk for the last time.

Her heart pounded explosively, and a power that she'd never imagined before was unleashed onto the blade.

"Argh!"

Kallon's eyes widened. His expression suggested that he hadn't expected her to counterattack in her state.

Whaam!

The astral energy between the two blades exploded, and a powerful light gushed out from the center of the arena.

'I wasn't even aware that I believed in him so much…'

Martha slowly closed her eyes upon feeling the impact smacking her head. Her lips were curved into a satisfied smile as she dropped her head.

Raon kicked the ground to leap into the air, holding Martha in his arms as she bounced away from the clash.

Despite how she'd looked like a general in a war, her body was extremely light. It felt like a mystery that she'd been fighting head-on against Kallon with a body like that.

She's spent all of her energy.

'Yes.'

Beef Girl is going to get stronger.

Wrath smiled, saying that only idiots or perverts spent all of their energy.

'She is an idiot.'

Raon nodded while tapping on Martha's lips, which were rolled into a smile.

'I didn't think she would go all out like this just because I gave her a small hint.'

He'd shown her that she could win when she looked at him, and she trusted his signal and went all out against Kallon. An ordinary person never would've been able to do that.

'I didn't know she trusted me so much.'

He'd thought that Martha trusted him the least among the three team leaders. That was why her expression of trust made him surprised and warmed his heart at the same time.

"Thanks to that…"

Raon raised his hand, and the yellow dust disappeared from the training ground, revealing Kallon's appearance.

His shoulders were trembling as he was on his knees. Even though he had dropped his sword on the ground, he couldn't even budge his finger.

"Zieghart hasn't lost."

Martha had inflicted a serious internal injury on Kallon with the first Berserk.

That outcome was only possible because Martha instinctively kept biting his wound until the end.

"Ah…"

The referee blinked in surprise upon seeing that Kallon was unable to move.

His expression suggested that the outcome was completely unexpected. He finally came to a conclusion and nodded his head before he raised his hand.

"Martha and Kallon are both unable to fight! It's a draw!"

It would have normally been Kallon's victory, but the contest's rule was that the winner had to keep fighting. Since Kallon was unable to move, he had also lost the match.

"Whoaaa!"

"It's a draw! Miss Rakshasa got a draw against Kallon!"

"H-how is this even possible?"

"Is Zieghart a den of monsters?"

"She only just awakened as a Master, so how…?"

Because the spectators had been expecting Kallon's victory, they could only blink with dumbfounded faces at the surprising outcome.

Raon smiled while healing Martha's body with the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

'Like I thought, you are the first.'

The three team leaders of the Light Wind division seemed to have equal skills at first, but Martha has always been very slightly ahead of the others since she was older than them.

Just like Raon had expected, she was the first to break through the Master's wall.

'Good job.'

Since he was aware of the hardship she'd gone through, he tapped on her head before entrusting her to the healer waiting behind him.

He returned to his seat and looked at the Light Wind division. Burren looked happy and frustrated at the same time, and Runaan's eyes were sparkling as she watched Martha, which was rare coming from her.

Raon smiled while watching their gazes.

'You can become even stronger with that frustration.'

Celebrating the success of a companion was important, but the frustration they felt over their own progress was bound to guide them to the higher realm.

Raon returned to his seat and looked at the platform where the leaders of the Five Divine Orders were sitting.

The intense frown on the Demonblade's face showed his irritation, while the Demon Slaying Spear was covering the back of his head with his hands clasped together. He waved at Raon upon noticing his gaze.

The Queen of Swords' eyes were glowing like a cat looking at a toy. She seemed to have taken a liking to Martha.

Raon looked at the Thespian Emperor. She appeared to be completely unfazed by the situation.

As expected, it wasn't enough to mentally agitate the Thespian Emperor.

'Next up is…'

Raon shook his hand towards Runaan, who was fidgeting behind him.

"Runaan."

He pointed at the arena that was still empty.

"It's your turn now."

"Mhm."

Runaan immediately nodded and entered the arena.

She calmly closed her eyes before opening them again. She seemed to be trying to feel the warmth Martha had left behind.

Before the referee could ask Runaan for an introduction, a man wearing black clothes came up from the opposite side.

He was giving a neat impression with his short blond hair swept back and a trimmed beard.

'Highest-level Master…'

The wave of energy he could feel far exceeded the average. His prowess was incomparable to Kallon.

"Rekri from the Black Snake Coalition."

He introduced himself and tapped on the longsword hanging around his waist.

'Black Snake Coalition…'

Raon furrowed his brow while listening to Rekri's introduction.

'Are the Five Divine Orders already coming out?'

The Black Snake Coalition was the armed group led by the Demonblade.

They followed the rule that any weapon or dirty trick was allowed as long as they could win.

"Rekri? Rekri is the Sword of Slaughter!"

"Yes! He is the Demonblade's disciple!"

"I heard he is extremely proficient with longswords. The rumors said that most warriors can't even get close to him."

"The match is already decided."

"The Sword of Slaughter is already participating…"

The spectators licked their lips while also saying that he was joining too fast. They seemed to know about Rekri, the Sword of Slaughter.

'That's true. She won't be able to win.'

Rekri was at the highest level of Master. Even if Runaan managed to awaken like Martha, it was still impossible for her to win the match.

"Haa…"

Raon was about to stop Runaan but stopped himself. Her eyes were as clear as morning dew on the leaves instead of being blank like always. She seemed determined to fight until the end like Martha, even if she had to lose.

'Alright, try it. It will still be beneficial even if she loses.'

The drastic difference in skills didn't always mean that the spar would be meaningless.

Since the Thespian Emperor had declared that it was a friendly match, Raon expected that Rekri wouldn't finish it right away. Since there was no risk of death, he decided to watch for the moment.

"Are you ready?"

The referee quickly fixed the arena before walking up to Runaan and Rekri. They simply nodded without any response.

"Then the match between Runaan from Zieghart and Rekri from the Black Snake Coalition is starting now!"

He must've gotten used to doing it since the process of lowering his hand and moving away had gotten faster than before.

"I'm not going to drag this out."

A frightening light glowed from Rekri's right hand. It was an extremely swift sword draw. His powerful energy was overflowing from his blade as if unsheathed like a ray of light.

Whir!

Runaan seemed to have expected Rekri's move as she thrust Snow Flower while lowering herself like a leaf under the rain. The white blade turned silver, and a thick energy of frost concentrated on it.

Claang!

Gathering frost created an aura shield, and it shattered into dozens of pieces upon blocking the blade.

Shring!

The shattered pieces of ice were hurled at Rekri in response to Runaan's hand gesture. It was a combination of defense and counterattack. The technique was full of potential.

"Not bad for a highest-level Expert. However…"

Rekri's sword trembled faintly like coral under the ocean before it was extended at lightning speed. It was an extremely quick stab with astral energy.

"Ack."

Runaan stepped back and tried to create a new shield of frost, but Rekri's sword was faster.

Crack!

The extremely thin blade cut through the half-baked frost barrier and created a long cut on her side.

Whaam!

Rekri wasn't satisfied with that and moved in front of Runaan before he violently kicked her abdomen.

"..."

Runaan didn't let out any groans until the very end, but her body bounced outside the arena from the impact.

"R-Runaan is out of the ring!"

The referee announced Runaan's defeat with a trembling voice. He must not have expected Rekri to go so hard on her.

Raon stopped looking at Rekri, who seemed slightly irritated, and walked up to Runaan.

"…I'm sorry."

Runaan hung her head, feeling ashamed that she had lost so easily. Raon felt bad for her because she was apologizing before anything when she must've been in so much pain.

"You fought well enough."

Lasting three strikes was amazing enough since her opponent was a highest-level Master using astral energy.

"You should take a rest."

Raon stopped Runaan's bleeding with the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation before calling a healer.

"I leave her to you."

He entrusted Runaan to the healer before returning to the Light Wind division.

"Burren, as you can see…"

"Yes. The match is going to be over before I can do anything."

Burren had also understood the situation and frowned. He seemed angry at the fact that he couldn't avenge what Rekri had done to Runaan.

"What a shame."

Rekri raised his chin while looking at Raon.

"I wanted to defeat the White Sword Dragon with my own hands, but you aren't allowed to participate."

He scratched the arena's floor with his longsword as a provocation.

He was trash who remained shameless after using an astral blade against someone far weaker than himself.

'This is perfect.'

Raon was looking for the right moment to act, and the idiot had created that opportunity for him. It was the perfect moment to enter the arena.

"Then I'll grant you that chance."

Raon went onto the arena with a frightening smile on his face.

"I'm Raon Zieghart, the vice leader of the Light Wind division."

He announced his name and stood in front of Rekri.

"What…?"

Rekri widened his eyes because he didn't expect it to happen.

"B-but you shouldn't be allowed to participate! I'm sure those who represent the house…"

"He is right."

The Thespian Emperor, who had been watching them from above the platform, stood up.

"Like I said in the beginning, those who represent each group aren't allowed to parti—"

"You seem to be mistaken."

Raon rolled his lips into a smile and tapped on the Black Dragon Coat. Zieghart's godly tablet used to be located on the right side of his chest, but it wasn't there anymore.

"I'm not Zieghart's representative."

"What are you—"

"I already said it when your secretary came to me and also during the conference. The Light Wind division leader is Zieghart's representative, not me."

He pointed to the right as he spoke. Rimmer was yawning in boredom from the spectator seat with Zieghart's godly tablet on his chest.

"You complained to me during the conference because I'm not Zieghart's representative. I'm not sure why you are saying otherwise now."

"Th-that's…"

The Thespian Emperor bit her lip tightly upon noticing the emblem on Rimmer's chest.

"B-but you had taken the representative's seat even though it was temporary and even joined the conference…"

"I'm not sure why being a representative or not is so important for you. Are you that afraid of me when I'm just a twenty-one-year-old greenhorn?"

"Hmm…"

Raon provoked her by calling her a coward, and the Thespian Emperor shut her mouth. Her eyebrows were trembling slightly.

"Well, that's actually true. The Sword of Light is Zieghart's representative."

"Yeah. It would be understandable if he were around forty, but stopping a twenty-one-year-old's participation would be strange."

"She's scared, right?"

"Well, it's normal to be scared. He is a highest-level Master at twenty-one years of age. If the White Sword Dragon wins the contest, it will be humiliating for the Five Divine Orders."

The spectators realized why the rule against the representative's participation was made and sneered at her.

"The others seem fine, but the Five Divine Orders seem to be against it. Then how about this?"

Raon met the Thespian Emperor's gaze. His smile deepened while looking at her trembling pupils.

"You, you, you, and you."

He raised his finger and pointed at Rekri in the arena and the three warriors on the VIP seats one after the other.

They were young and powerful warriors from the Five Divine Orders who were going to participate in the contest just like Rekri.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing…?"

The designated warriors from the Five Divine Orders furrowed their brows, unable to understand why they were pointed out.

"As an apology for the sudden participation, I'll allow you to attack me together."

Raon's footsteps were similar to Glenn's as he advanced to the center of the arena. Dark scales emerged from the fluttering Black Dragon Coat alongside a furious spirit.

The majestic energy wave spreading around him gave the impression that he was standing alone in the middle of a dark storm.

"Step forward, all four of you."