Chapter 414

The spectators were watching the fight in bewilderment, and the light returned to their eyes the moment Mustan dropped the remaining half of his sword.

"A-a single strike?"

"Did the Sword Demon's disciple really lose in a single strike?"

"What the hell…?"

"H-how is this even possible? Let alone the Sword Demon's disciple, was it even possible for a Master to defeat another Master in a single strike?"

"I can't believe my eyes…"

"W-wasn't it a bit too fast?"

"It was way too fast. They say much noise, no substance, but this is even worse…"

The spectators sighed deeply because the match between Raon and Mustan ended in a single strike despite how much they'd been looking forward to it.

"Ah…"

Mustan looked at the remaining half of his sword with a trembling chin. He could see the clean cut at the center of the blade, and the other half of the blade was slammed into the ground.

'What's happening? Did I really lose while using my master's technique?'

He couldn't believe that the Sword Demon Rector's martial art was defeated by a single strike from that young bastard. He felt like he was having a nightmare.

'Impossible.'

Defeat was a possibility since Raon Zieghart had the title 'Sword Dragon', which signified that he was the strongest among the young warriors.

However, he couldn't understand—no matter how he thought about it—how he could lose in a single strike… and to a casual sword draw that didn't even seem to be a special technique!

"Th-this isn't right!"

Mustan raised his broken sword and pointed at Raon.

"I haven't lost yet! I won't admit it!"

He ground his teeth, saying that he couldn't admit his defeat.

Tsk.

Raon briefly clicked his tongue while watching Mustan shout at him.

Pathetic.

Wrath shook his head while looking at Mustan as if he were an insect.

His unsightly behavior is even worse than his pathetic performance.

'Indeed. He fails to surpass my expectations.'

Even though it was a single strike, the match was already decided. He would've died right there if it was a real battle.

The position as the Sword Demon's disciple was too good for him with the way he was denying reality. It was a problem with his personality rather than skill.

"So what do you want to do now?"

"A rematch! I can keep fighting in this state!"

Astral energy burst from the remaining half of Mustan's blade as he tried to keep going with the fight.

'It's a bit annoying, but… I should thoroughly crush him while I'm at it.'

A proper match against Mustan would be a difficult one, but it was going to be rather easy since he was even more agitated than before.

"Mustan."

Just as Raon was about to raise Heavenly Drive once again, the Sword Demon entered the arena.

Step.

Even though his footstep was faint, it quietly descended upon Raon's ears through the loud clamor from the spectators.

"M-master."

Mustan swallowed nervously while looking at the Sword Demon's cold eyes.

"This is a spar and a duel at the same time."

The Sword Demon raised his hand, and the blade stuck on the ground floated by itself to land on his palm.

"You have to admit your defeat, even if it was a single strike, and even if you were being careless. Go down."

"Ugh…"

Mustan bit his lip to the point of bleeding and left the arena.

However, he glared at Raon with bloodshot eyes. He seemed to be saying that he would never forget the humiliation.

"I apologize in his stead."

The Sword Demon walked up to Raon and closed his eyes.

"He's lacking manners because he only recently appeared in public. Please understand him."

The broken blade on his hand turned into iron dust and fluttered into the air. Raon wasn't sure if it was supposed to be an apology or a threat.

"It's fine."

Raon reluctantly nodded.

"Then what about the spar against Sir Rector…?"

"Let's get started in a moment since you must need some rest."

The Sword Demon told him to cultivate before the match and left the arena.

"Hmm…"

Raon licked his lips while watching the Sword Demon's back.

'There's no reason to refuse since he's giving me a chance to fight better.'

He nodded and sat on the chair right below the arena.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What else? He's crazy!"

Burren gasped, and Martha rolled her lips into a smile.

"Raon, super damn handsome."

Runaan gave him a thumbs up to praise him.

"Please guard me while I'm cultivating."

Raon asked the three to guard him before he closed his eyes.

'Mustan's swordsmanship must've been the Sword Demon's martial art.'

He closed his eyes while thinking about the small portion he could learn from Mustan's technique.

* * *

"I beg your pardon!"

Mustan went on his knees as soon as the Sword Demon left the arena.

"This foolish disciple ruined my master's reputation!"

He almost sounded like he was screaming as he slammed his head on the ground.

"However!"

Mustan raised his bleeding forehead. His eyes were distorted like a fiend.

"I really was just careless. I can win if I do my best…"

"Mustan."

The Sword Demon furrowed his brow while looking down on Mustan.

"Did you just say that you can win if you aren't careless?"

"Indeed! He only won by sheer coincidence! I'll recover our honor if you give me another chance!"

"Are you telling me that you can win without even looking at your opponent?"

"What?"

Mustan's lips parted in surprise since he was unable to comprehend.

"Your sword was directed at me instead of that boy. Your mind was sparring against me instead of Raon."

The Sword Demon's cold eyes were staring at his disciple's trembling shoulders.

"Weren't you solely focused on showing me some advanced technique instead of facing the opponent in front of you? Do you truly believe you can win against a Sword Dragon in that state?"

"A-about that…"

Mustan couldn't respond and hung his head.

'He's right… I wanted my master to watch my swordsmanship, not Raon.'

He was defeated in a single strike because he used the versatile sword that he hadn't mastered yet, intending to prove that he was the only disciple of the Sword Demon.

'Damn it!'

He finally realized it. His defeat was only natural because he'd used an inexperienced technique without focusing on his opponent.

"You finally realized it."

The Sword Demon slowly nodded.

"You would've had a good match against him if you did your best instead of trying to copy my technique."

"Agh…"

Mustan's body trembled as he bit his lip.

"Today's defeat will become a foothold to reach even higher in the future. Don't forget about it for the rest of your life. And…"

The Sword Demon took another step towards Mustan.

"You are gravely mistaken about something. Let me tell you."

"What?"

Mustan blankly raised his head.

"It wasn't my decision to take you as my disciple, but I have no intention of canceling it. Don't worry about pointless things and focus on training, since you are the only disciple I have."

The Sword Demon turned once he made his declaration.

'It should be enough with everything I told him.'

Mustan had always had low self-esteem and became easily agitated because he had always been concerned by the fact that the Sword Demon didn't personally choose him as his disciple.

Even though he took a disciple against his will, he had no intention of going back on the decision. Rector wanted his disciple's shortcomings to be fixed through the incident.

"Haa…"

Raon was cultivating with his eyes closed, and the Sword Demon weakly bit his lip while watching him.

'It's strange no matter how I think about it. He doesn't look similar, but he does at the same time.'

Raon Zieghart kept reminding him of that child.

He had different hair and eye color than Raon's flashy blond hair and red eyes, but the perfect facial features were way too similar to be normal.

'He's reminding me of bad memories.'

The Sword Demon sighed while watching Raon, and Mustan also glared at him while clenching his fist.

The gamblers came back to their senses after the shock of the first match and ran towards Rimmer's stall.

"Zieghart's Sword of Liiiiight!"

"Hey! You fucking scammer!"

"Give my money back!"

"Are you telling me that worthless guy killed an apostle and a floor overseer? Bullshit!"

"He's just some shitter!"

"I should've never believed in an elf!"

The rushing gamblers looked like they were about to break the stall as they grabbed Rimmer by his collar. Madness was overflowing from everyone's eyes because they'd lost their money way too easily.

"Hieeeh!"

Dorian's lips trembled violently because of their bloodshot eyes.

"Hey, calm down, everyone."

Rimmer didn't panic at all and shook his hand to calm people down.

"Business is business! Raon won in a single strike, but he still took a significant amount of damage. You can see that he's cultivating over there."

He pointed at Raon, who was cultivating with his eyes closed, and the gamblers stopped screaming for a moment.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there's a saying that people get three chances in their lives. Your first chance was that you got to witness this match, and your second chance was that you could bet your money on this match. Your third chance is the fact that there's another game ahead of you!"

Rimmer shouted, and everyone's jaw dropped whether they won or lost.

"A-a chance?"

"We are getting another chance?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let me go for now and take a step back, please."

The spectators released Rimmer's collar and withdrew.

"You should already be aware, but the upcoming match is a spar between Raon and the Sword Demon. It's more like a small lesson rather than a spar, but the situation has changed."

Rimmer smiled coldly while pointing at the Sword Demon.

"Raon just blew up his precious disciple in a single strike. Do you think the Sword Demon would overlook this matter? What do you think? I'm asking you right there!"

He pointed at the gambler who'd been holding his collar until a moment ago.

"Dear customer, what would you have done if you were the Sword Demon?"

"I-I'd destroy him in a single strike just like he did."

"Correct! The Sword Demon is still a human being, and skin is nearer than a shirt. He must be harboring an extreme hatred towards Raon, who humiliated his disciple. He is obviously going to try crushing Raon in a single strike. That's why!"

Rimmer slammed the table and stood up.

"We are getting our third chance! Can Raon withstand the Sword Demon's first strike or not? Let's start gambling!"

He announced the new gamble and asked them to start betting already.

"Wh-what the hell…?"

"Isn't that too one-sided?"

"I know, right? The Sword Demon's strike is way too powerful, even for Sir Raon."

"I agree. This doesn't even work as a gamble!"

"Shut the hell up and give my money bac—"

People sneered, saying that no one was going to bet on Raon unless they were idiots.

They were simply glaring at Rimmer without betting any money when the third prince pushed his way through the crowd to reach the table.

"I'm going to bet the money I won from the last round and the original sum that the swordsman Raon will withstand the first strike."

The third prince declared that he didn't need to get the money back since he was going to bet on Raon.

"Thank you!"

Rimmer lowered his head with a smile on his face when he heard the third prince's aura message.

[I'll be counting on you to keep your promise and tell me Lady Martha's preference.]

[Oh, of course. I'll tell you what she likes the most after it's over.]

He immediately nodded while looking at the third prince.

'She just likes fighting and insulting. It's not anything special.'

Since Martha was never going to fall for the third prince, he was planning to tell him whatever she liked and call it quits.

"Dorian, make sure to write it down."

"Yes!"

Dorian nodded and wrote down the third prince's bet on his account book.

"W-wait, didn't the third prince wager five hundred gold coins earlier?"

"He did. It must've increased to a thousand gold because he won…"

"Is he seriously gambling all that money?"

"What the hell…?"

"He has the nerve of steel…"

People swallowed nervously while looking at the third prince, who bet a large sum without hesitation.

"I-I'm betting on the Sword Demon!"

"Me too!"

"God damn it! Take my emergency fund!"

"This is the third chance! He's so right! I need to take this third chance no matter what!"

"I'm going to Cameloon after this!"

Everyone started betting once again, whether they won the previous round or not, and the table was filled with money.

Rimmer grinned while watching a pile of money grow big enough to cast a shadow.

He gathered his hands and lowered his head towards Raon, who opened his eyes after his cultivation and started to pray ardently.

'Oh, my god of wealth!'

* * *

Raon shook his head while watching the huge ruckus at Rimmer's gambling stall.

'He's definitely not starving to death no matter what he does.'

The way he turned the crisis in his favor like a snake was almost admirable.

Let me pull those long ears off!

Wrath angrily punched into the air with his round fist.

'Yeah, it's irritating to watch.'

Raon chuckled and entered the arena. Since he warmed up during the previous match and the cultivation replenished his aura, his condition was even better than during the match against Mustan.

The Sword Demon had been looking at him, and he nodded before walking into the arena.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Raon nodded heavily.

"Thank you for enlightening my disciple."

The Sword Demon narrowed his eyes while looking back at Mustan.

"He still has many shortcomings because he lacks experience. He shall be able to reach even higher in the future thanks to your lesson."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Raon licked his lips while looking at the bloody look in Mustan's eyes despite what Sword Demon was saying.

"Since you've enlightened my disciple in a single strike, I'd also like to finish this match in a single strike. Do you want to try it out?"

"I'm honored."

Raon slowly caught his breath and unsheathed Heavenly Drive.

"Here I go."

The Sword Demon drew his sword from ten steps away from Raon.

The blade reaching towards the sky was slightly red. A majestic amount of power could be felt from his form, which was too natural to be called the upper posture.

Whir!

His sword slowly descended. It was so slow that even a kid would've been able to easily dodge, but Raon's heart tightened to the point of bursting.

'What is going on…?'

The speed was so slow that he could get bored, and the blade wasn't even surrounded with aura, let alone astral energy. However, Raon couldn't even begin to guess how to defend against it.

"Kuh!"

'I'm going to die if I dodge, but I'm also going to die if I block it.'

His body was being crushed by the sword's pressure, which felt like the entire world was falling toward him.

His bones were creaking and he couldn't even breathe anymore. He started to wonder if it was even possible for a human being to use such a technique.

This is an interesting lesson.

Wrath seemed to be entertained as he licked his lips. His voice acted like cold water pouring onto Raon and he returned to his senses.

'I can't lose like this. I need to find a way…'

He stimulated his heart, which was frozen in fear, and activated the Ring of Fire.

The rings slowly rotated and resonated with each other to release his body from the pressure that was binding him like a chain.

However, he still couldn't figure out how to defend against the strike even with the Ring of Fire. The only way to dodge was to kneel in front of him.

'Is he trying to make me pay the price for humiliating his disciple?'

The Sword Demon's attack was a supreme one for Raon, who was facing him, but it only looked like a joke to the spectators.

Raon could guess that the Sword Demon was trying to return his disciple's humiliation with interest.

'This is a bit unsightly if he's serious about this.'

He started to boil with rage because he'd never thought the famous Sword Demon would resort to such a cheap trick.

Raon bit his lip tightly and clenched Heavenly Drive.

'The techniques I've used before aren't going to work.'

None of the techniques he'd learned and created in the past was capable of stopping the Sword Demon's attack.

'If my current realm isn't enough… I just need to advance even further.'

Raon increased the Ring of Fire's output to the maximum while watching the Sword Demon's attack.

Cring!

The resonance of the rings stimulated his upper energy center, which wasn't completely open yet. His heated brain felt like it was melting, and a new scene was displayed in front of him.

The slow descent of the Sword Demon's blade looked faster instead, and he could see the principles inside it like a panorama.

'This technique…'

It was the same technique as Mustan's, but it was on a whole different level of completion.

The dignity of the versatile sword that combined countless principles of swordsmanship was roaring towards the world.

No emotion could be read from the Sword Demon's eyes behind the completed versatile sword. He looked so apathetic that he looked like he was crushing a bug to death.

Raon didn't want to lose once he realized the technique's nature and saw the Sword Demon's look of disdain.

Whir!

The seven rings combined into one, and he could feel the world's energy as if the mana in his body returned to nature.

The Sword Demon's sword was fast, slow, heavy, light, powerful, soft, flexible, precise, variable, and illusory at the same time.

Even though it should've been impossible for those contradicting principles to coexist, they were dwelling together inside that single strike.

'I would've never been able to defend against it if It was my first time seeing this. However… I've witnessed an even more amazing technique from the closest spot.'

The flow was different, but he'd witnessed the sword of a warrior who'd managed to combine all of the martial principles in the world.

Glenn Zieghart.

Watching his back came with an expensive return.

Because he'd witnessed the sword of the Destructive King of North, he could bare his fangs at the versatile sword falling towards him.

'I'm going to advance.'

One step, two steps.

Raon imagined the sword of the transcender who managed to push back the White Blood's Religion's leader and the Fallen at the same time.

The Ring of Fire rotated as fast as possible, and the huge resonance coming from their distortion sounded like they were about to break.

Inside his mental world… There was nothing but sword buds in that white world, but a new sprout slowly emerged.

Raon enjoyed the burning pain of his brain and fixed the grip on Heavenly Drive.

Whir!

He controlled the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's heat and Glacier's coldness at the same time as he extended his left foot.

Thud!

The extreme heaviness of his step created a huge fissure in the arena.

He connected that majestic power with his waist and remembered the martial arts he'd learned before.

'I can't incorporate all of them at once.'

Mustan was the perfect example of that. It was better to leave out the principles that weren't mastered yet.

Raon chose the techniques that he'd been practicing all along to incorporate into himself.

Raon Zieghart's fast, powerful, variable, and precise sword soared along with a majestic radiance.