Raon clashed swords with Karoon, slightly bending his knees. He narrowed his eyes, ready to move in any direction at a moment's notice.
'As expected, his swordsmanship is tricky to deal with.'
Karoon's swordsmanship had an elegant yet grand quality, like watching an orchestra perform. While it lacked some practicality, like the ceremonial sword dances nobles learn, Karoon had transformed that weakness into a strength upon reaching Transcendence.
Within the graceful sword movements that unfolded like fine silk, razor-sharp strikes emerged that seemed to constrict the heart. They were so keen that it felt like the Heavenly Drive itself might be cut.
Raon deflected Karoon's sword, which had fallen with an eerie aura, while biting his lip thinly.
'I wasn't the only one who grew through the last war.'
Karoon seemed to have developed through endless battles, displaying swordsmanship on a different level than before. Raon had thought he'd fully grasped Karoon's abilities, but that was a huge misconception. While Karoon's physical abilities and aura hadn't obviously increased like Raon's, he had grown significantly both mentally and martially.
'Interesting.'
Raon briefly licked his lips and raised the Heavenly Drive like dragon scales. Above the red-hot blade, a massive tree resembling the World Tree rose up. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Fire Spirit. Thousands of bright red flaming petals bloomed on the tree, engulfing Karoon in a fiery storm.
'I need to press in further here.'
Since Karoon could likely cut through the Fire Spirit's flames without much difficulty, Raon needed to thrust in with intense swordsmanship now to resolve this match easily. Raon stepped forward forcefully, employing Glacier to its extreme. A silver sphere formed above the cooling sword energy. Raon Zieghart Style Swordsmanship.
Second Form: Heavy Sky Cannon.
Just as the frost-condensed sphere was about to cause a massive explosion, Karoon casually suppressed the storm raised by the Fire Spirit and walked out.
'He broke through the Fire Spirit I unleashed at full power so easily?'
While Raon had expected Karoon to escape the Fire Spirit, he hadn't anticipated him destroying it so quickly. Tearing apart the flames themselves - it was an unbelievably sharp sword strike.
'Still, I have to keep going.'
Powerful aura was already condensed in the Heavenly Drive's blade. Even if Karoon could block it, Raon had to detonate the Heavy Sky Cannon. Just as Raon was about to explode the Heavy Sky Cannon, Karoon's sword drew a deep blue line. The energy of the Heavy Sky Cannon that touched that line split diagonally.
The Heavy Sky Cannon exploded not in front of Karoon, but in midair, causing a massive tremor in the training ground.
'He cut through even the Heavy Sky Cannon so easily?'
Raon had imbued the silver spheres forming the Heavy Sky Cannon with enough cold energy to freeze an entire village and then some. He couldn't help but laugh wryly at Karoon, who had split that enormous energy in one breath.
"There are two reasons I requested this match with you."
Karoon raised his fingers while standing still.
"First, to understand you. And second, to show you my skills."
He waved his hand as if to say it would be troublesome to underestimate him.
"Just as you develop, I too am growing."
Karoon slightly moved the hand holding his sword as if telling Raon to come at him with full force.
"Well, there's no need to drag this out when we already know each other so well."
Raon curled his lips upward and plunged the Heavenly Drive and Blade of Requiem into the cracked training ground. Sword Domain - Divine-Demonic Harmony. A golden sun overlapped the sun illuminating the training ground, and beside it, a silver moon rose majestically. Raon grasped the divine and demonic swords, seemingly carved from the sun and moon, and raised his chin.
"As you wish, I'll go all out."
* * *
Karoon furrowed his brow as he blocked Raon's divine sword with its flame-honed edge.
'It's different. No, it's not just different - it's like he's become a completely different person.'
Raon's sword strikes, which Karoon had thought he could easily cut down, were now pushing through his defenses relentlessly. It felt like he was facing a Transcendent of a higher level than himself, not Raon.
'I have to admit it. In terms of strength, speed, perception, and sheer amount of aura, Raon is superior.'
Raon's body was so strong and agile that even Karoon, who had undergone a complete transformation, couldn't keep up. If it came down to just physical abilities and aura, he would have no chance of winning.
'The problem is, that's not all there is to it.'
If it were just Raon's swordsmanship with added power and speed, Karoon could have overcome it easily. But now, Raon's sword contained an even higher level of subtlety. It seemed that this was the true sword of Raon Zieghart.
'Yes, it should be at least this much.'
Karoon had requested this match because he wanted to overcome Raon's true martial prowess. If it weren't at least this level, he would have been troubled. Karoon blocked both Raon's divine and demonic swords simultaneously while raising his aura to the extreme.
A terrifying shockwave erupted as the all-consuming flames and the all-cutting sword energy collided. The training ground cracked in a spider web pattern, revealing pitch-black fissures.
Despite the training ground crumbling beneath them, Raon and Karoon didn't back down, thrusting their swords towards each other's throats. Blue sword energy quelled the raging flames, and silver frost pushed back the blue sword energy. The battle of sword energies devouring each other continued endlessly. It was a fight that could be called evenly matched.
'It's certainly tricky.'
Karoon frowned as he observed Raon's rapidly changing sword paths.
'This Ten Thousand Swords style...'
Raon's swordsmanship changed its color constantly like an unfathomable sea. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes light, and sometimes heavy. There were times when he incorporated all these subtleties into a single sword, making it feel like facing dozens of swordsmen simultaneously.
'However...'
Not all the sword techniques are perfected yet. The Ten Thousand Swords style aims to master every sword technique principle in existence. Naturally, not all the sword principles Raon had learned were perfect.
'I'll have to target those points.'
Karoon gripped his sword tightly while dispersing the pressure from the divine and demonic swords with his footwork. Raon's swords, falling with extreme sharpness, generated red lightning as if trying to break through Karoon's defense. It was a thunder sword technique meant to momentarily paralyze the opponent's body.
'Now!'
Raon's thunder sword was certainly powerful, but it wasn't as refined as his other techniques. There was enough of an opening to exploit. Karoon lunged forward, shattering the ground beneath him. He leapt into Raon's space and thrust his sharply raised sword.
Using the ultimate technique of his swordsmanship that could cut through all things, Karoon sliced through Raon's thunder sword and thrust his blade towards Raon's chest.
"As expected, you came."
Raon curled his lips upward and nodded slightly.
"Towards my weakness."
Despite his elegant swordsmanship, Karoon possessed senses as keen as a wild animal. To draw him in, Raon had to show a genuinely flawed sword technique, not just a clumsy trap.
'Was it a trap?'
Karoon frowned but continued forward. Though he realized Raon had set a trap, his body was already committed. Pressing on was the best option now.
Raon's divine sword, deflected to the left, erupted with a majestic aura and flashing lightning. Sky-Piercing Thunder's Hundred Petals. The martial art passed down from Glenn had spread new wings.
As Karoon's sword and Raon's Sky-Piercing Thunder clashed, blue light and red lightning spread in all directions. Karoon, unable to withstand the powerful force of Sky-Piercing Thunder, was pushed back. He raised his face and furrowed his brow.
"Were you aiming for this?"
"No. I just thought you would come in."
Raon smiled, saying he had faith in Karoon.
"If that's how you want to play it..."
Karoon nodded with a smile similar to Raon's.
"Don't blame me if you can't enter the Room of Self!"
He charged at Raon, declaring he would decisively crush him. Blue flashes and red flames collided repeatedly, causing massive tremors in the training ground. No, not just the training ground - all of Zieghart was shaking.
* * *
"I can barely see what's happening..."
Balder chuckled wryly as he watched the training ground filled with light, flames, and frost.
"It hasn't been long since they ascended to transcendence, is this right?"
He frowned, saying the gap had suddenly become too large.
"It's not normal."
Alice waved her hand, saying it wasn't typical.
"Karoon exploded with the experience he accumulated after reaching the peak of Grandmaster, while Raon, as you know, is in a different class of talent."
She laughed, saying those two were exceptional.
"I knew the river flowed quickly behind, but to this extent..."
Alice clicked her tongue, saying she had fallen too far behind while she was bedridden.
"Father, what do you think? Who do you think will win?"
She approached Glenn, who hadn't taken his eyes off the training ground.
"Well..."
Glenn narrowed his eyes, wiping the sweat from his palm.
"Before the war with the Black Tower, Karoon was clearly superior, but now it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an even match."
He licked his lips, saying Raon and Karoon had reached similar levels.
"Moreover, they're both growing through this match. At this rate, it wouldn't be strange for either of them to win."
Karoon and Raon were reading each other's rhythms and elevating their martial achievements. When Raon advanced a little, Karoon caught up, and when Karoon's sword became sharper, Raon's sword firmly blocked the way. It was truly an even match.
"Brother didn't use his Sword Domain. If he used that, I think he'd win."
Balder licked his lips, predicting Karoon's victory for holding back his Sword Domain.
"Raon hasn't used his Sword Control either. Besides, that Sword Domain isn't something that ends after a single use."
Alice shook her head, saying Raon also had important weapons in reserve.
'That's not all.'
Glenn slightly lowered his chin as he listened to Balder and Alice's words.
'Raon hasn't used all the power he possesses yet.'
A special power that only Raon could use slumbered within his soul. If he drew upon that energy, he could likely subdue Karoon, but it seemed Raon intended to win this match with his own strength alone.
'It's good to see.'
Glenn formed a faint smile as he observed Raon and Karoon fiercely swinging their swords.
'I thought I'd never see such a sight.'
His son and grandson engaging in a mutually beneficial duel. He had thought it was a scene he, who had failed in raising his children, would never witness, but here it was unfolding before him.
'It's all thanks to you.'
Glenn gazed at Raon with eyes as warm as sunlight.
'Thank you, Raon.'
* * *
Raon pushed Karoon back with his divine sword, a thin smile on his face.
'Now I can see it.'
Through the long duel, he had learned Karoon's swordsmanship with his eyes and body. Now he could create a flow of Ten Thousand Swords that wouldn't be cut by Karoon's sharp techniques.
"Hah..."
Karoon, roughly pushed back, let out a heavy sigh.
"Your growth rate is certainly unmatched. And I'm at a disadvantage in strength and speed on top of that."
He gritted his teeth, saying the situation was unfavorable in many ways.
"You still have strength in reserve, don't you?"
Raon chuckled and waved his hand.
"You haven't used your Sword Control either."
Karoon nodded, saying he was well aware.
"If we're counting like that, you're even more so, Central Martial Palace Master. You haven't even opened your Sword Domain yet."
Raon pointed his divine sword at Karoon, telling him to stop making excuses.
"Hah..."
Karoon slowly raised his sword, closing his eyes before opening them again.
"It's been quite enjoyable, but it's time to bring this to an end."
He raised a chilling gaze, saying they should settle it here.
"I agree."
Raon tilted his divine sword behind his shoulder and his demonic sword behind his waist. He also raised the Wooden Ring sword Sword with Sword Control, making full preparations.
"Don't die."
Karoon swung down the sword he held with both hands. Though it looked like a simple vertical slash, his sword was imbued with an enormous aura that seemed capable of destroying the continent and more.
"Sword Domain - Emperor."
Karoon's calm voice became the axis that changed the world, and the sword he swung down created a majestic wave as if splitting the horizon.
'Is the sword growing larger?'
No, was it really growing? Karoon's thin sword gradually swelled until it became large enough to fill the entire training ground. It felt like his body - no, his soul - was being crushed by Karoon's sword.
'He called it Emperor.'
It felt as if his soul, body, and swordsmanship were all being bent. It was a power befitting the name Emperor.
'Though it feels like my heart might burst...'
I can't back down here. Raon pressed his lips tightly and advanced towards Karoon. He exploded all the remaining energy in his divine and demonic swords towards the massive Emperor sword covering the sky.
Raon Zieghart Style Swordsmanship. Sixth Form: Divine-Demonic Harmony Linked Technique - Azure-Red Invincible Sword.
The divine and demonic swords emitted a majestic light as if about to burst, drawing two streams of radiance that blocked the giant sword.
'One more here!'
Raon imbued the Wooden Ring Sword with the lightning of Celestial Thunder Arts and the wind of Garunua. The two energies harmonized like watercolors spreading, creating red lightning. It was Sky-Piercing Thunder's ultimate technique, Thunder Emperor Slash.
The sword carrying lightning and wind was shot above the pillars raised by the divine and demonic swords. The Ten Thousand Swords style containing four attributes clashed with the Emperor sword that could destroy heaven and earth.
An immense force collided, causing the ground to crumble and the training ground itself to start collapsing. Even the clear sky seemed to freeze in astonishment, turning pitch black. Raon bit his lip as he saw Karoon's Emperor pushing back even after using the Azure-Red Invincible Sword and Thunder Emperor Slash.
'It seems I'm not pushing it back, but rather being pushed back.'
Karoon's sword, true to its name Emperor, possessed a firm yet majestic power.
'I see why it's so strong.'
Karoon's goal was singular: to become the head of the Zieghart family. The concept of Emperor he had dreamed of since childhood was manifesting in this world through his Sword Domain. The difference in the time spent accumulating this concept and its desperation made his Sword Domain stronger than the Azure-Red Invincible Sword.
'But...'
I can't falter here. There's no such thing as flawless swordsmanship in this world. Raon gripped his swords tightly as he observed Karoon's Sword Domain growing heavier and more powerful.
'If he's going to press down from there, I'll cut through this time.'
Raon infused his Azure-Red Invincible Sword and Thunder Emperor Slash with extreme sharpness, just as Karoon had done to him, and unleashed it towards Karoon's Emperor sword. As Karoon's Emperor, continuously gaining power, clashed with Raon's sword strikes imbued with sharpness that could cut even space itself, the world's colors began to change.
The training ground, once brilliant with various colors, turned black and white as an enormous power capable of erasing everything began to condense.
Just as Raon and Karoon were swinging their swords to the very end in that eerie space, red lightning fell from the split sky. The lightning, as massive as if seeing a divine dragon, swallowed up the energy created by Raon and Karoon.
All that remained after the lightning passed was the red lightning aura spreading like an afterimage.
"That's enough."
Glenn stepped forward in front of Karoon and Raon, holding up the Heavenly Tremor.
"If you had continued fighting like that, neither of you would have come out unscathed. This training ground would have been completely destroyed as well."
He said they had both gained what they could, so it would be best to stop here, and sheathed the Heavenly Tremor.
"...Understood."
Though Karoon seemed regretful, he nodded and lowered his sword.
"Yes..."
Raon let out a short sigh and sheathed the Heavenly Drive, Blade of Requiem, and Wooden Ring sword Sword.
'As expected, it wasn't easy.'
-If you had used this king's together, you could have won.
Wrath furrowed his brow as if Raon had forgotten about .
'I wanted to fight with just my own power.'
As Wrath said, if Raon had used the Demon King's Authority from the beginning, he could have pushed Karoon back. But since this was a fight between Zieghart swordsmen, he wanted to win with his own strength.
'It's a bit disappointing.'
If he had used Heaven's Rift instead of the fading Azure-Red Invincible Sword at the end, he might have been able to cut down Karoon's Emperor sword. It was regrettable that he couldn't test that.
'Anyway, I can reach it now.'
Before the war, Raon had thought Karoon was far beyond him, but now he felt he could win even without using the Demon King's Authority. He was excited to see how much he would change after visiting the Room of Self.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Raon bowed his head to Karoon first.
"We'll have to settle this match after you come out of the Room of Self."
Karoon said they would see each other later and left the training ground without hesitation.
"Acting all cool! You were totally surprised!"
Balder gave a thumbs up, as if to say well done.
"You've really changed so much. This is..."
Alice let out a wry laugh, asking how he had come so far.
"I was just lucky."
Raon shook his head, saying he had many good opportunities.
"Raon."
Glenn approached Raon, dusting off his hands.
"I've opened the Room of Self as you wished."
He nodded as if to say all preparations were complete.
"Rest for a while and come on the promised day."
"Yes."
Raon nodded with eyes full of anticipation.
'I'm finally going.'
-So it's finally come to this...
Wrath clutched his head, his eyes reddening.
-Damn that Nadine bread!
* * *
"Well then, I'll be going."
Raon waved to Sylvia, Edgar, Sia, Olga, and the maids who were out in the garden.
"Be careful. Don't be too greedy."
Sylvia nodded, telling him to take it easy.
"A martial artist should have ambition!"
Edgar, on the contrary, clenched his fist, telling Raon to gain as much as possible.
"Come back safely!"
Sia waved her hand, telling him to return safely without complaints. She was clearly becoming more mature.
"Hey. Come back quickly. It's hard being alone."
Olga averted her eyes, saying it felt awkward being alone in the annex.
"It probably won't take that long. The time axis is different, they say."
Raon patted Olga's shoulder, telling her not to worry.
"Well then!"
Raon greeted everyone once more before leaving the annex. Perhaps because it was the day he would enter the Room of Self he had been looking forward to, his body felt surprisingly light.
-Damn it...
In contrast, Wrath had been grinding his teeth since morning at the thought of having to eat Nadine bread for a while. Raon dragged the whimpering Wrath along like a dog reluctant to go for a walk as he entered the Lord's Manor.
"I'm here to see the Head of House."
Raon bowed his head to Glenn while standing in the center of the audience chamber.
"You're earlier than the appointed time. Couldn't you wait?"
Glenn formed a thin smile as if understanding Raon's feelings.
"Yes. I've wanted to enter since before reaching Transcendence, so I could hardly sleep."
Raon scratched the back of his head, saying his heart was still racing a bit.
"Then we should go in right away."
Glenn said there was no need to waste time as he rose from his throne.
"Yes. Then..."
As Raon was about to leave the audience chamber again, Glenn raised his hand.
"There's no need to leave."
Glenn shook his head and pointed his finger at the floor of the audience chamber.
"The Room of Self is right here."