Chapter 413
“You won’t get such a great opportunity to hit the jackpot ever again! You can make money while watching Raon’s match. This is hitting two rabbits with one stone!”
Rimmer clapped his hands and raised his voice to gather more customers.
“This is a match between Raon Zieghart, the Kennel Master who leads the Mad Dog squad full of rabid dogs, and the young Sword Demon Mustan, who will become famous all over the world as the disciple of the Sword Demon. Gambling here will make it even more fun to watch!”
People gathered upon hearing his cheerful shout and filled the gambling area.
Huh…
Wrath shook his head while watching Rimmer.
The King of Essence has seen quite a lot of shitty ears in the past, but he’s never seen anyone with such a peculiar personality.
He murmured that it was a mystery how he was born among those proud elves.
Raon nodded stiffly.
‘Same goes for me. I never thought I’d meet an elf like him.’
The elves were characterized by their beautiful appearance, high affinity to nature, and their tendency to reject other races and live a quiet life in nature. However, the appearance was the only feature that suited Rimmer’s description.
The King of Essence told you. His ears are detachable. Just try pulling them and they will come off.
‘Maybe you are right.’
Raon chuckled and nodded. He really acted like some punk in the backstreet except for his appearance.
He really started to wonder whether it was possible to disassemble and reassemble his ears.
Raon went to Rimmer’s gambling stall, which was getting more and more crowded.
People were trying to guess who was going to win before betting.
“Ah, I don’t know who I should be betting on.”
“Bet on Sir Raon of course! He didn’t earn the name ‘White Sword Dragon’ by gambling!”
“I would normally choose our benefactor, but look who he’s fighting against.”
“I agree. He’s no other than the disciple of the Sword Demon from Five Great Swordmasters. He’s not some pushover.”
“Th-this is so hard. What should I do…?”
They would’ve normally bet on Raon, who was the hero from the previous war, but they couldn’t easily decide because the name of the Sword Demon was too important.
“I don’t even know anymore! I’m going to believe in our benefactor!”
“Same. I’m going to be loyal since I can’t tell who is going to win!”
“Certainly, the White Sword Dragon is more likely to win. Look at how he single-handedly ended the war.”
“I’m also betting on Sir Raon!”
The people right in front of the stall bet on Raon, and those at the back nodded their heads while saying that they also wanted to bet on him.
“Everyone’s so ignorant.”
Rimmer smiled like a snake while watching the money pile up on the stall.
“I already told you, but Raon didn’t single-handedly end the war at all. I helped him.”
He excitedly proclaimed that his help was what allowed him to end the war, and Raon was just limping from exhaustion.
“Huh? We have the said person there! Raon!”
Rimmer waved his hand towards Raon who was staring at them blankly from the back.
“Huh…”
Raon gasped while looking at Rimmer.
‘Seriously, that guy…’
He’d never imagined he would try to use him for his gamble instead of being embarrassed about it. He was almost as shameless as Merlin.
“Raon, you tell them! Did you finish the last fight on your own?”
“I didn’t.”
Raon shook his head since he wouldn’t have been able to cut the death sphere without Rimmer and Wendy’s help.
“What would’ve happened if Habun Castle or I didn’t help you?”
“It would’ve been extremely dangerous.”
Raon responded honestly because he had no other choice.
“See? His rumors are exaggerated. It’s as bad as the bubbles that appear when you frantically rub your hands a soap!”
Rimmer was calling him bubbles even though he’d just praised him as the Kennel Master of the Light Wind squad and the White Sword Dragon.
“It hurts me to see all your confusion. I’ll give you a hint. The rumors said that the disciple of the Sword Demon has defeated an apostle from the White Blood Religion and a floor overseer from the Black Tower before coming here.”
He was rambling nonsense since he’d previously said during the festival that he didn’t even know that the Sword Demon had a disciple.
“Moreover, Raon was called the Young Sword Demon in the past. Mustan is going to do his absolute best to take away that title.”
“Gasp! He defeated an apostle and a floor overseer!?”
“His pressure was extraordinary indeed. He looked even stronger than what we’d expect from the disciple of the Sword Demon.”
“He will definitely be desperate to win with the title of Young Sword Demon on the line.”
“I’m even more confused now after hearing that…”
People were contemplating it when the third prince came to the stall and put down his gold pouch.
Thud!
The heavy sound of the pouch hitting the table gathered everyone’s attention.
“I’m betting five hundred gold on Raon Zieghart.”
Desire welled up in people’s eyes upon seeing the huge amount of money.
“Huff!”
“F-five hundred gold coins?!”
“That’s so much…”
They were so focused on calculating the dividend that they didn’t even sound like they were breathing.
“I decided! I’m betting on the disciple of the Sword Demon!”
“Ten silvers for Mustan!”
“Get away! It’s my turn!”
“I’m also betting on Mustan. Take the money that I was going to spend to buy candy for my daughter!”
People stopped contemplating and pumped their money on the table.
“Your Highness?”
Raon called the third prince.
“Hmm…”
The third prince’s shoulders flinched before he averted his gaze to look at Rimmer instead.
‘What’s happening?’
He looked like a kid who was found out while stealing, even though he’d just bet the money. It was rather suspicious.
‘Could it be?’
Raon frowned and sent an aura message to the third prince.
[Did our squad leader ask you to do this?]
[A-about that…]
His trembling voice confirmed that he was following Rimmer’s instruction.
[But why would Your Highness even join our squad leader’s gamble… Ah!]
Raon tried to think about it and could figure out how Rimmer was ordering the third prince around.
[Is it because of Martha?]
[Uhah!]
The third prince was startled, and it confirmed Raon’s suspicion.
Rimmer must’ve asked him to help him increase the amount of bets by offering information about Martha since he knew about his feelings for her.
Raon bit his lip.
‘Seriously, what should I do with him?’
It was pretty much gambling fraud. He couldn’t believe Rimmer was doing that.
“My turn! My turn!”
“Take my money already!”
“I’m betting on the Sword Demon’s disciple!”
“I’m betting on Sir Raon!”
Raon thought about stopping them, but people’s eyes were already filled with madness. They looked like they would start a riot if he tried to stop them.
“It’s your turn now!”
Rimmer shook his hand to the side because he couldn’t deal with all the customers on his own.
“Yes…”
Dorian came from the corner where he’d been hiding and wrote down the amount of people’s bets before shoving their money into his belly pocket.
“And what are you even doing?”
“I’m the bank for today…”
Dorian sniffled while taking the money.
“A portion of the gambling commission will be donated for House Arianne’s reconstruction! Consider it as a donation and bet your money!”
Rimmer shouted that a large portion of the commission he would be earning was going to be donated to House Arianne.
“A donation?”
“I’m going to bet more money!”
“Shut up and take my money already!”
“Raon!”
“Mustan!”
Once he mentioned that he was running the gambling place out of goodwill, people even took out their pocket money to bet.
That shouldn’t be the case though.
Wrath shook his head, saying that there was no way Shitty Ears would be doing a good deed.
‘He will have to donate after he declares it like that.’
Raon believed he wasn’t going to lie even though he was Rimmer. He laughed bitterly because he’d never imagined Rimmer would be doing a good deed.
He noticed that it was written on the signboard that he was going to donate some of the profit.
‘I never thought I would see the squad leader in a different ligh—huh?”
Raon was reading the phrase and suddenly dropped his jaw.
At the end of the signboard, it was written [40% commission] with extremely tiny letters that even Masters would need to focus on their eyes to see it.
‘F-forty percent?’
Even the illegal gambling took 10~20% commission, yet he was charging 40%. Even the loan sharks were no match for his crazy rate.
‘I can understand why he’s donating it.’
He was literally going to make a bank with a 40% commission rate. He must’ve been planning to give away a small portion of it.
The King of Essence told you. Shitty Ears is incorrigible.
“Haa…”
Raon lamented while looking at Rimmer’s pupils that had turned into gold coins.
That’s what we call a dark elf…
* * *
* * *
Mustan went to Rector’s room once he was ready for the match.
“Master.”
He bowed to Rector, who was sitting on a sofa and watching outside the window.
“It’s time for the match.
“Indeed.”
Rector turned his head for the first time in two days. He had been staring outside the window ever since the encounter with Raon.
Mustan bit his lip tightly while looking at the enervated look in his master’s eyes.
‘Damn it…’
He requested a fight against Raon to prove that he was better than him, yet his master ended up witnessing Raon’s spirit instead.
Rector hadn’t looked at him since he’d met Raon and kept drinking his wine while staring at the sky.
Mustan clenched his scabbard. He could almost see Raon’s reflection in Rector’s eyes.
‘Arrogant bastard. Defeat me and cross swords with my master, you said?’
He unconsciously clenched his grip because he remembered Raon’s face as he arrogantly rambled without even knowing his opponent’s skills.
Creak.
The twisted scream of the scabbard sounded like it was about to break.
His stomach ached as he thought about Raon, who took away the title of a Sword Dragon that he’d always wanted to have and even his master’s attention.
‘I’m going to defeat you no matter what.’
Raon was affiliated with Zieghart, but he didn’t inherit Glenn’s martial art.
Since Mustan inherited the Sword Demon’s martial art and had been training for longer than him, he thought he was obviously going to win.
“Master.”
Mustan took a step towards the Sword Demon.
“I’m going to win the spar today and stop his sword from reaching my master.”
“Be careful.”
Rector slowly turned his head.
“That boy is powerful. Don’t underestimate him. Consider him as the strongest opponent you’ve faced so far.”
“The strongest opponent…”
Mustan bit his lip.
‘So he really does acknowledge him.’
Rector rarely acknowledged people’s skills. His master was such an aloof person, yet he was praising a young bastard when he was the disciple. Mustan’s heart tightened upon reaching that thought.
Moreover, he wasn’t personally chosen by Rector when he became a disciple, and that fact made him further infuriated.
“Please watch me. I’m going to prove that I’m the only one suitable as my master’s disciple!”
Mustan turned around with a frightening look in his eyes.
Rector shook his head while looking at Mustan’s back.
“He’s completely mistaken.”
The first disciple he’d ever had seemed to be gravely mistaken, but he had a feeling that it would be pointless to say anything in his state.
In fact, he figured the experience could help him improve in the future and decided to leave alone.
“Haa…”
Rector sighed heavily while looking outside the window once again.
“I’ll be able to find out today whether I guessed right or not.”
* * *
Raon entered the arena before the sun reached the center of the sky.
Because the rumor about the spar had already spread, the warriors who came as reinforcements and House Arianne’s members were gathered around the arena.
“Whoaaa!”
“He made his entrance!”
“Raon! Raon! Raon!”
“White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon!”
Their cheers were even louder than back in Zieghart, probably because Raon had already encountered every single one of them before.
Raon raised his hand to respond to their cheers, and the crowd on the other side split apart to make way for Rector the Sword Demon and Mustan, his disciple, to make their entrance with heavy steps.
Mustan bowed to the Sword Demon before entering the arena.
“Whoaaa!”
“Mustan! Mustan!”
“The disciple of the Sword Demon!”
“The rising star who’s slain an apostle and a floor overseer!”
Lots of people were also rooting for Mustan thanks to the gamblers who had been baited by Rimmer.
Mustan walked towards the center with a vicious glow in his eyes that looked like he was about to fight to the death.
“You don’t realize how much I’ve been looking forward to this day.”
“Same goes for me.”
Raon nonchalantly nodded.
“The titles of Young Sword Demon and Sword Dragon. You only managed to get them because you got lucky. Those names would be describing me instead if I made my appearance before you.”
“I’m not interested in them. Take them.”
Raon wasn’t exactly interested in titles. He shrugged his shoulders because he didn’t mind having no other name than Raon Zieghart like how it was in the past.
“That’s the part I don’t like about you. You are too arrogant.”
“That doesn’t seem to be the only reason.”
Mustan’s pressure was just as fierce during their first encounter. Arrogance couldn’t be the only reason for his animosity.
“I’ll make you shut that mouth of yours.”
He grabbed his scabbard with a powerful glare that looked like his eyes were burning.
“Everyone who has said that has failed to achieve it.”
“Shut up!”
“They swore at me the exact same way as you.”
Raon snickered and took a step forward. He faced Mustan at a distance, only the sound of their breathing reaching each other.
Once they got into their postures to signal that they were ready, Borini Kitten entered the arena.
“I’m Borini Kitten from Owen. I’ll be the referee of today’s match.”
He politely lowered his head at Raon and Mustan one after the other.
“Killing moves are prohibited. Please respect your opponent since this is a spar.”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
Borini Kitten withdrew to the edge of the arena after they answered.
“The spar between Raon Zieghart and Mustan is starting now!”
He lowered his hand that was raised towards the sky before leaving the arena.
“Raon Zieghart.”
Mustan immediately drew his sword and dashed. He unleashed all of his aura from the beginning and slammed down his sword with his eyes brimming with an inferiority complex.
“Hmm?”
Raon furrowed his brow while watching Mustan’s strike fall toward him.
‘What is this?’
Too many principles were dwelling in the strike.
Swoosh!
It was fast, heavy, powerful, sharp, variable, and illusory at the same time.
Thud!
Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to withdraw to the left side to further observe his technique.
“Where do you think you are running?!”
Mustan’s sword twisted like a snake chasing after a mouse to follow up. Precision and flexibility were added on top of the previous principles.
Cring!
Raon leaned backward to dodge Mustan’s sword. His bangs got cut before they could descend and could be seen fluttering in the air.
Thud!
He forced his ankle to withdraw as if he were gliding through ice and narrowed his eyes.
‘…It must be a versatile sword.’
Swordsmanship had as many principles as the number of swordsmen in the world. Most of the techniques were made by combining a few different principles, but those who could use the versatile sword were an exception.
They could endlessly develop their technique by using the arts they’d already learned, and even the ones that they were going to learn in the future.
‘The Sword Demon could use the versatile sword…’
Glenn Zieghart and Derus Robert were the only people known to the public as masters of the versatile sword, but the Sword Demon must’ve been another one.
‘However…’
Raon briefly clicked his tongue while watching Mustan’s consecutive attacks, which were wrapped in raging astral energy.
‘He’s just superficial.’
The versatile sword should’ve been a unique technique with a concentration of countless arts, but the principles weren’t forming any harmony in Mustan’s sword.
His swift sword wasn’t fast, his heavy sword wasn’t heavy, and the powerful sword wasn’t powerful. All kinds of techniques were mixed together, but he hadn’t mastered any of them, nor were they properly blended in.
‘Moreover, he’s not even looking at me.’
His shoulders were stiff and his hands were excessively strained. He was exerting too much strength for no reason from the beginning, and he seemed to be trying to show off to the Sword Demon behind him instead of fighting his opponent.
‘This match is pointless.’
Raon’s gaze became ice cold. There was no reason to waste any time since there was nothing to gain from an opponent who was simply venting his anger.
“You won’t be able to dodge this!”
Mustan rushed in like lightning and thrust his sword.
He surrounded Raon from four directions with the principles of heavy sword to prevent him from dodging, incorporating the principles of swift and powerful swords into the attack while adding the variable and illusion swords to confuse his opponent.
Rumble!
The heaviness of Raon’s body felt like gravity had intensified, and his vision was covered by the radiance of the red astral energy engulfing the sword. It was truly an excessively flashy technique.
‘Even an outstanding Master shouldn’t be able to counter that flashy and powerful strike. However… I’m different.’
Because Raon was ahead of Mustan on the path of the versatile sword, it was an easy task to shatter such a shabby mixture of techniques.
He decided to bestow a lesson on the fool who was walking the same path of the versatile sword.
Thud!
Raon stomped the ground. The heated power rising from his legs engulfed his body as he closed the distance towards Mustan.
Cring!
When the tip of Mustan’s sword was about to reach Raon, he unsheathed Heavenly Drive. The explosive energy of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation dashed through the mana circuits all around his body to unleash a powerful, raging crimson flame from his right hand.
Mustan’s jealous gaze gradually changed. His eyes expanded in astonishment, and his mouth widened.
‘It’s already too late.’
It was too late to realize his mistake because Raon’s sword draw was already reaching the tip of Mustan’s sword.
Whaam!
Heavenly Drive didn’t have as many principles as Mustan’s, but the speed, precision, and power that he needed were perfectly blended into one.
The combination of the principles was simple yet perfect. They distorted like moonlight and clashed against Mustan’s powerful strike.
Clang!
The principles were erased one after the other from Mustan’s sword.
The swiftness disappeared, the heaviness was destroyed, and the change and illusion subsided. An ordinary sword was left once all of the principles disappeared.
Creak!
Raon strained his wrist holding Heavenly Drive to slash all the way.
Clang!
The bare sword of Mustan was split in half and got stuck in the ground.
“Ah…”
Mustan was shocked, and Raon twirled Heavenly Drive to bring it to his neck. He couldn’t even show any reaction and simply stood there with trembling lips.
“I kept my promise about answering with the result.”
Mustan’s unfocused eyes looked like he still didn’t understand what was happening, and Raon didn’t even look at him anymore. He lowered Heavenly Drive while looking at the Sword Demon behind him.
“I’d like to request the second match.”
Chapter 413
“You won’t get such a great opportunity to hit the jackpot ever again! You can make money while watching Raon’s match. This is hitting two rabbits with one stone!”
Rimmer clapped his hands and raised his voice to gather more customers.
“This is a match between Raon Zieghart, the Kennel Master who leads the Mad Dog squad full of rabid dogs, and the young Sword Demon Mustan, who will become famous all over the world as the disciple of the Sword Demon. Gambling here will make it even more fun to watch!”
People gathered upon hearing his cheerful shout and filled the gambling area.
Huh…
Wrath shook his head while watching Rimmer.
The King of Essence has seen quite a lot of shitty ears in the past, but he’s never seen anyone with such a peculiar personality.
He murmured that it was a mystery how he was born among those proud elves.
Raon nodded stiffly.
‘Same goes for me. I never thought I’d meet an elf like him.’
The elves were characterized by their beautiful appearance, high affinity to nature, and their tendency to reject other races and live a quiet life in nature. However, the appearance was the only feature that suited Rimmer’s description.
The King of Essence told you. His ears are detachable. Just try pulling them and they will come off.
‘Maybe you are right.’
Raon chuckled and nodded. He really acted like some punk in the backstreet except for his appearance.
He really started to wonder whether it was possible to disassemble and reassemble his ears.
Raon went to Rimmer’s gambling stall, which was getting more and more crowded.
People were trying to guess who was going to win before betting.
“Ah, I don’t know who I should be betting on.”
“Bet on Sir Raon of course! He didn’t earn the name ‘White Sword Dragon’ by gambling!”
“I would normally choose our benefactor, but look who he’s fighting against.”
“I agree. He’s no other than the disciple of the Sword Demon from Five Great Swordmasters. He’s not some pushover.”
“Th-this is so hard. What should I do…?”
They would’ve normally bet on Raon, who was the hero from the previous war, but they couldn’t easily decide because the name of the Sword Demon was too important.
“I don’t even know anymore! I’m going to believe in our benefactor!”
“Same. I’m going to be loyal since I can’t tell who is going to win!”
“Certainly, the White Sword Dragon is more likely to win. Look at how he single-handedly ended the war.”
“I’m also betting on Sir Raon!”
The people right in front of the stall bet on Raon, and those at the back nodded their heads while saying that they also wanted to bet on him.
“Everyone’s so ignorant.”
Rimmer smiled like a snake while watching the money pile up on the stall.
“I already told you, but Raon didn’t single-handedly end the war at all. I helped him.”
He excitedly proclaimed that his help was what allowed him to end the war, and Raon was just limping from exhaustion.
“Huh? We have the said person there! Raon!”
Rimmer waved his hand towards Raon who was staring at them blankly from the back.
“Huh…”
Raon gasped while looking at Rimmer.
‘Seriously, that guy…’
He’d never imagined he would try to use him for his gamble instead of being embarrassed about it. He was almost as shameless as Merlin.
“Raon, you tell them! Did you finish the last fight on your own?”
“I didn’t.”
Raon shook his head since he wouldn’t have been able to cut the death sphere without Rimmer and Wendy’s help.
“What would’ve happened if Habun Castle or I didn’t help you?”
“It would’ve been extremely dangerous.”
Raon responded honestly because he had no other choice.
“See? His rumors are exaggerated. It’s as bad as the bubbles that appear when you frantically rub your hands a soap!”
Rimmer was calling him bubbles even though he’d just praised him as the Kennel Master of the Light Wind squad and the White Sword Dragon.
“It hurts me to see all your confusion. I’ll give you a hint. The rumors said that the disciple of the Sword Demon has defeated an apostle from the White Blood Religion and a floor overseer from the Black Tower before coming here.”
He was rambling nonsense since he’d previously said during the festival that he didn’t even know that the Sword Demon had a disciple.
“Moreover, Raon was called the Young Sword Demon in the past. Mustan is going to do his absolute best to take away that title.”
“Gasp! He defeated an apostle and a floor overseer!?”
“His pressure was extraordinary indeed. He looked even stronger than what we’d expect from the disciple of the Sword Demon.”
“He will definitely be desperate to win with the title of Young Sword Demon on the line.”
“I’m even more confused now after hearing that…”
People were contemplating it when the third prince came to the stall and put down his gold pouch.
Thud!
The heavy sound of the pouch hitting the table gathered everyone’s attention.
“I’m betting five hundred gold on Raon Zieghart.”
Desire welled up in people’s eyes upon seeing the huge amount of money.
“Huff!”
“F-five hundred gold coins?!”
“That’s so much…”
They were so focused on calculating the dividend that they didn’t even sound like they were breathing.
“I decided! I’m betting on the disciple of the Sword Demon!”
“Ten silvers for Mustan!”
“Get away! It’s my turn!”
“I’m also betting on Mustan. Take the money that I was going to spend to buy candy for my daughter!”
People stopped contemplating and pumped their money on the table.
“Your Highness?”
Raon called the third prince.
“Hmm…”
The third prince’s shoulders flinched before he averted his gaze to look at Rimmer instead.
‘What’s happening?’
He looked like a kid who was found out while stealing, even though he’d just bet the money. It was rather suspicious.
‘Could it be?’
Raon frowned and sent an aura message to the third prince.
[Did our squad leader ask you to do this?]
[A-about that…]
His trembling voice confirmed that he was following Rimmer’s instruction.
[But why would Your Highness even join our squad leader’s gamble… Ah!]
Raon tried to think about it and could figure out how Rimmer was ordering the third prince around.
[Is it because of Martha?]
[Uhah!]
The third prince was startled, and it confirmed Raon’s suspicion.
Rimmer must’ve asked him to help him increase the amount of bets by offering information about Martha since he knew about his feelings for her.
Raon bit his lip.
‘Seriously, what should I do with him?’
It was pretty much gambling fraud. He couldn’t believe Rimmer was doing that.
“My turn! My turn!”
“Take my money already!”
“I’m betting on the Sword Demon’s disciple!”
“I’m betting on Sir Raon!”
Raon thought about stopping them, but people’s eyes were already filled with madness. They looked like they would start a riot if he tried to stop them.
“It’s your turn now!”
Rimmer shook his hand to the side because he couldn’t deal with all the customers on his own.
“Yes…”
Dorian came from the corner where he’d been hiding and wrote down the amount of people’s bets before shoving their money into his belly pocket.
“And what are you even doing?”
“I’m the bank for today…”
Dorian sniffled while taking the money.
“A portion of the gambling commission will be donated for House Arianne’s reconstruction! Consider it as a donation and bet your money!”
Rimmer shouted that a large portion of the commission he would be earning was going to be donated to House Arianne.
“A donation?”
“I’m going to bet more money!”
“Shut up and take my money already!”
“Raon!”
“Mustan!”
Once he mentioned that he was running the gambling place out of goodwill, people even took out their pocket money to bet.
That shouldn’t be the case though.
Wrath shook his head, saying that there was no way Shitty Ears would be doing a good deed.
‘He will have to donate after he declares it like that.’
Raon believed he wasn’t going to lie even though he was Rimmer. He laughed bitterly because he’d never imagined Rimmer would be doing a good deed.
He noticed that it was written on the signboard that he was going to donate some of the profit.
‘I never thought I would see the squad leader in a different ligh—huh?”
Raon was reading the phrase and suddenly dropped his jaw.
At the end of the signboard, it was written [40% commission] with extremely tiny letters that even Masters would need to focus on their eyes to see it.
‘F-forty percent?’
Even the illegal gambling took 10~20% commission, yet he was charging 40%. Even the loan sharks were no match for his crazy rate.
‘I can understand why he’s donating it.’
He was literally going to make a bank with a 40% commission rate. He must’ve been planning to give away a small portion of it.
The King of Essence told you. Shitty Ears is incorrigible.
“Haa…”
Raon lamented while looking at Rimmer’s pupils that had turned into gold coins.
That’s what we call a dark elf…
* * *
* * *
Mustan went to Rector’s room once he was ready for the match.
“Master.”
He bowed to Rector, who was sitting on a sofa and watching outside the window.
“It’s time for the match.
“Indeed.”
Rector turned his head for the first time in two days. He had been staring outside the window ever since the encounter with Raon.
Mustan bit his lip tightly while looking at the enervated look in his master’s eyes.
‘Damn it…’
He requested a fight against Raon to prove that he was better than him, yet his master ended up witnessing Raon’s spirit instead.
Rector hadn’t looked at him since he’d met Raon and kept drinking his wine while staring at the sky.
Mustan clenched his scabbard. He could almost see Raon’s reflection in Rector’s eyes.
‘Arrogant bastard. Defeat me and cross swords with my master, you said?’
He unconsciously clenched his grip because he remembered Raon’s face as he arrogantly rambled without even knowing his opponent’s skills.
Creak.
The twisted scream of the scabbard sounded like it was about to break.
His stomach ached as he thought about Raon, who took away the title of a Sword Dragon that he’d always wanted to have and even his master’s attention.
‘I’m going to defeat you no matter what.’
Raon was affiliated with Zieghart, but he didn’t inherit Glenn’s martial art.
Since Mustan inherited the Sword Demon’s martial art and had been training for longer than him, he thought he was obviously going to win.
“Master.”
Mustan took a step towards the Sword Demon.
“I’m going to win the spar today and stop his sword from reaching my master.”
“Be careful.”
Rector slowly turned his head.
“That boy is powerful. Don’t underestimate him. Consider him as the strongest opponent you’ve faced so far.”
“The strongest opponent…”
Mustan bit his lip.
‘So he really does acknowledge him.’
Rector rarely acknowledged people’s skills. His master was such an aloof person, yet he was praising a young bastard when he was the disciple. Mustan’s heart tightened upon reaching that thought.
Moreover, he wasn’t personally chosen by Rector when he became a disciple, and that fact made him further infuriated.
“Please watch me. I’m going to prove that I’m the only one suitable as my master’s disciple!”
Mustan turned around with a frightening look in his eyes.
Rector shook his head while looking at Mustan’s back.
“He’s completely mistaken.”
The first disciple he’d ever had seemed to be gravely mistaken, but he had a feeling that it would be pointless to say anything in his state.
In fact, he figured the experience could help him improve in the future and decided to leave alone.
“Haa…”
Rector sighed heavily while looking outside the window once again.
“I’ll be able to find out today whether I guessed right or not.”
* * *
Raon entered the arena before the sun reached the center of the sky.
Because the rumor about the spar had already spread, the warriors who came as reinforcements and House Arianne’s members were gathered around the arena.
“Whoaaa!”
“He made his entrance!”
“Raon! Raon! Raon!”
“White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon!”
Their cheers were even louder than back in Zieghart, probably because Raon had already encountered every single one of them before.
Raon raised his hand to respond to their cheers, and the crowd on the other side split apart to make way for Rector the Sword Demon and Mustan, his disciple, to make their entrance with heavy steps.
Mustan bowed to the Sword Demon before entering the arena.
“Whoaaa!”
“Mustan! Mustan!”
“The disciple of the Sword Demon!”
“The rising star who’s slain an apostle and a floor overseer!”
Lots of people were also rooting for Mustan thanks to the gamblers who had been baited by Rimmer.
Mustan walked towards the center with a vicious glow in his eyes that looked like he was about to fight to the death.
“You don’t realize how much I’ve been looking forward to this day.”
“Same goes for me.”
Raon nonchalantly nodded.
“The titles of Young Sword Demon and Sword Dragon. You only managed to get them because you got lucky. Those names would be describing me instead if I made my appearance before you.”
“I’m not interested in them. Take them.”
Raon wasn’t exactly interested in titles. He shrugged his shoulders because he didn’t mind having no other name than Raon Zieghart like how it was in the past.
“That’s the part I don’t like about you. You are too arrogant.”
“That doesn’t seem to be the only reason.”
Mustan’s pressure was just as fierce during their first encounter. Arrogance couldn’t be the only reason for his animosity.
“I’ll make you shut that mouth of yours.”
He grabbed his scabbard with a powerful glare that looked like his eyes were burning.
“Everyone who has said that has failed to achieve it.”
“Shut up!”
“They swore at me the exact same way as you.”
Raon snickered and took a step forward. He faced Mustan at a distance, only the sound of their breathing reaching each other.
Once they got into their postures to signal that they were ready, Borini Kitten entered the arena.
“I’m Borini Kitten from Owen. I’ll be the referee of today’s match.”
He politely lowered his head at Raon and Mustan one after the other.
“Killing moves are prohibited. Please respect your opponent since this is a spar.”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
Borini Kitten withdrew to the edge of the arena after they answered.
“The spar between Raon Zieghart and Mustan is starting now!”
He lowered his hand that was raised towards the sky before leaving the arena.
“Raon Zieghart.”
Mustan immediately drew his sword and dashed. He unleashed all of his aura from the beginning and slammed down his sword with his eyes brimming with an inferiority complex.
“Hmm?”
Raon furrowed his brow while watching Mustan’s strike fall toward him.
‘What is this?’
Too many principles were dwelling in the strike.
Swoosh!
It was fast, heavy, powerful, sharp, variable, and illusory at the same time.
Thud!
Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to withdraw to the left side to further observe his technique.
“Where do you think you are running?!”
Mustan’s sword twisted like a snake chasing after a mouse to follow up. Precision and flexibility were added on top of the previous principles.
Cring!
Raon leaned backward to dodge Mustan’s sword. His bangs got cut before they could descend and could be seen fluttering in the air.
Thud!
He forced his ankle to withdraw as if he were gliding through ice and narrowed his eyes.
‘…It must be a versatile sword.’
Swordsmanship had as many principles as the number of swordsmen in the world. Most of the techniques were made by combining a few different principles, but those who could use the versatile sword were an exception.
They could endlessly develop their technique by using the arts they’d already learned, and even the ones that they were going to learn in the future.
‘The Sword Demon could use the versatile sword…’
Glenn Zieghart and Derus Robert were the only people known to the public as masters of the versatile sword, but the Sword Demon must’ve been another one.
‘However…’
Raon briefly clicked his tongue while watching Mustan’s consecutive attacks, which were wrapped in raging astral energy.
‘He’s just superficial.’
The versatile sword should’ve been a unique technique with a concentration of countless arts, but the principles weren’t forming any harmony in Mustan’s sword.
His swift sword wasn’t fast, his heavy sword wasn’t heavy, and the powerful sword wasn’t powerful. All kinds of techniques were mixed together, but he hadn’t mastered any of them, nor were they properly blended in.
‘Moreover, he’s not even looking at me.’
His shoulders were stiff and his hands were excessively strained. He was exerting too much strength for no reason from the beginning, and he seemed to be trying to show off to the Sword Demon behind him instead of fighting his opponent.
‘This match is pointless.’
Raon’s gaze became ice cold. There was no reason to waste any time since there was nothing to gain from an opponent who was simply venting his anger.
“You won’t be able to dodge this!”
Mustan rushed in like lightning and thrust his sword.
He surrounded Raon from four directions with the principles of heavy sword to prevent him from dodging, incorporating the principles of swift and powerful swords into the attack while adding the variable and illusion swords to confuse his opponent.
Rumble!
The heaviness of Raon’s body felt like gravity had intensified, and his vision was covered by the radiance of the red astral energy engulfing the sword. It was truly an excessively flashy technique.
‘Even an outstanding Master shouldn’t be able to counter that flashy and powerful strike. However… I’m different.’
Because Raon was ahead of Mustan on the path of the versatile sword, it was an easy task to shatter such a shabby mixture of techniques.
He decided to bestow a lesson on the fool who was walking the same path of the versatile sword.
Thud!
Raon stomped the ground. The heated power rising from his legs engulfed his body as he closed the distance towards Mustan.
Cring!
When the tip of Mustan’s sword was about to reach Raon, he unsheathed Heavenly Drive. The explosive energy of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation dashed through the mana circuits all around his body to unleash a powerful, raging crimson flame from his right hand.
Mustan’s jealous gaze gradually changed. His eyes expanded in astonishment, and his mouth widened.
‘It’s already too late.’
It was too late to realize his mistake because Raon’s sword draw was already reaching the tip of Mustan’s sword.
Whaam!
Heavenly Drive didn’t have as many principles as Mustan’s, but the speed, precision, and power that he needed were perfectly blended into one.
The combination of the principles was simple yet perfect. They distorted like moonlight and clashed against Mustan’s powerful strike.
Clang!
The principles were erased one after the other from Mustan’s sword.
The swiftness disappeared, the heaviness was destroyed, and the change and illusion subsided. An ordinary sword was left once all of the principles disappeared.
Creak!
Raon strained his wrist holding Heavenly Drive to slash all the way.
Clang!
The bare sword of Mustan was split in half and got stuck in the ground.
“Ah…”
Mustan was shocked, and Raon twirled Heavenly Drive to bring it to his neck. He couldn’t even show any reaction and simply stood there with trembling lips.
“I kept my promise about answering with the result.”
Mustan’s unfocused eyes looked like he still didn’t understand what was happening, and Raon didn’t even look at him anymore. He lowered Heavenly Drive while looking at the Sword Demon behind him.
“I’d like to request the second match.”
