"The Fear of Battle?"
The Demon Slaying Spear sneered as he watched Raon approach.
"How arrogant. But I like it. A martial artist of the Five Kings should have that level of confidence."
He licked his lips in anticipation, seemingly pleased.
"Enough talk. Let's begin."
Raon pointed his Divine Sword, blazing with golden flames, at the Demon Slaying Spear's neck.
"Very well."
The Demon Slaying Spear raised his left hand in front of the spear blade, taking a charging stance. He emitted a sharp aura as if he had become a spear himself.
"In a battle between martial artists, there's no need for senior courtesy."
The Demon Slaying Spear lifted his chin and flicked the tip of his spear-holding hand.
"I'll make the first move!"
The Demon Slaying Spear merely flicked his fingertips, but the spear in his hand spun violently and shot towards Raon's heart.
'Fast.'
Raon furrowed his brow as he saw the spear technique rushing towards him in an instant.
'But that's not all.'
The Demon Slaying Spear unleashed a practical technique that could attack anywhere using the spear shaft's elasticity. He was aiming for the heart now, but that target could change at any moment.
'In that case...'
Raon gently rotated his right wrist, unleashing the Fangs of Insanity sword technique. The Fangs of Insanity was a sword of perception. There was no better swordsmanship for blocking complex techniques that were difficult to grasp visually. The Divine Sword surged up fiercely like a predator not letting go of its prey's nape, violently deflecting the Demon Slaying Spear's attack aimed at his neck.
The clash of spear and sword created a powerful wave of aura in the air. Trees were shaved, and undergrowth was torn to shreds.
"Not bad!"
The Demon Slaying Spear, as if his first attack was merely a light greeting, rotated his ankle forward and unleashed a series of spear strikes. Waves of attacks capable of crushing Raon's entire body surged forward simultaneously, giving the sensation of an inescapable black tide rushing in.
'A wave can be neutralized by an equal wave.'
Raon dragged his Demonic Sword across the scorched ground, raising it up. The frost imbued in the sword strike unfurled like ripples on a lake, creating blue waves in the air. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Flame and Ice Unification. The waves of the Demonic Sword and the spear collided head-on, creating an aura shockwave that seemed to reach the heavens.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the Demon Slaying Spear's aura pierce through the Flame and Ice Unification and plunge into the Black Dragon Coat.
'He's certainly strong.'
To break through the Flame and Ice Unification in the Sword Domain state and attempt to tear the Black Dragon Coat, it was indeed the power befitting a high-ranking Transcendent.
"It's too early to be surprised, isn't it?"
The Demon Slaying Spear shot out the rotating spear from his grip. Above the black flames burning in the spear strike, a massive spiral force bloomed and rushed towards Raon's eyes.
"You don't need to worry."
Raon calmly shook his head.
"I'm not surprised at all."
He drew the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Revolving Sky with his Divine Sword. Flames rotating in the opposite direction of the Demon Slaying Spear's spear engulfed the opponent's martial art.
"Then let's continue."
The Demon Slaying Spear grasped the end of the spear shaft and extended the blade. The black flames burning from his spear became a massive spear as if wielded by a celestial god, rushing towards Raon's heart. Raon blocked the Demon Slaying Spear's attack by creating two layers of Fire Wall with his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword.
'Hmm...'
Despite setting up two Fire Walls, the impact still transmitted to his sword-holding hand. It was a terrifying power.
'Moreover, his form is free-flowing.'
The Demon Slaying Spear pretended to aim for his heart again but changed the direction of his spear strike towards Raon's right shoulder. Like a martial artist who had lived on battlefields, his martial arts were unrefined and free-flowing. It was neither easy to deal with nor to grasp.
"Your expression has hardened."
The Demon Slaying Spear looked down at Raon and tilted his chin.
"Smile. This is an enjoyable fight, isn't it?"
He grinned slightly and leaped into the air. The Demon Slaying Spear brought down a fierce spear strike as if to split the rising full moon on the horizon in half. Raon calmly regulated his breathing despite the Demon Slaying Spear's chilling spear strike falling towards him.
'I mustn't get impatient.'
The Demon Slaying Spear conceals his target until the end, wearing down the opponent's breath and mental strength. To counter this tactic, one always needed to maintain composure. As the Demon Slaying Spear's strike fell towards his forehead, Raon drew up the Crimson Slash with his Divine Sword.
The sword strike blazing with golden flames and the spear strike wrapped in black flames collided between the horizon.
The sword blade and spear blade trembled as if about to break, and the differently colored flames growled at each other, competing fiercely.
"You're certainly different. However..."
The Demon Slaying Spear curled his lips and pulled back his spear. He applied an even stronger rotation to the spear shaft, creating a storm of black aura. The storm of spear strikes created by the Demon Slaying Spear erased the Crimson Slash with just the wind and rushed violently towards Raon as if to tear him apart without leaving a trace.
'I need to buy time.'
Raon stepped back using the Supreme Harmony Steps, pulling his Demonic Sword behind his waist. When the storm of black aura came close enough to touch his front hair, he raised his left wrist and struck out with the Demonic Sword. The frost burning from the sword strike of the Demonic Sword roared towards the heavens and earth, taking the form of a massive dragon. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Flame Dragon Strike.
As the Flame Dragon Strike unleashed with Glacier's frost collided with the storm of black aura created by the spear, a terrifying shockwave enveloped the world. The sky cracked like glass, and the earth's axis twisted, tilting the ground.
Raon and the Demon Slaying Spear pressed down on the earth with their toes, striking out with their sword and spear as if determined to end it here. Blue lightning erupted between the two, spewing out in all directions.
The entire forest was collapsing, but there wasn't even the slightest tremor behind Raon's back. He was absorbing the impact that would have reached Merlin with his entire body.
"More! Draw out more!"
The Demon Slaying Spear nodded as if pleased with Raon's counterattack and grasped the spear shaft with both hands. Using his left foot as an axis, he swung the spear shaft horizontally, utilizing his entire body. The spear shaft, bent as if about to break, connected like a single line, drawing a spiral burning with black flames. It was the ultimate technique of the Demon God Spear, Explosive Spiral.
The Demon Slaying Spear simultaneously destroyed the storm of aura he had created and the Flame Dragon Strike, attempting to envelop Raon in a spiral of black flames. Raon, instead of retreating, stepped forward and raised the flames of his Divine Sword to their peak.
The flames imbued in the sword strike soared as if to touch the sky, penetrating between the spirals of black flames. It was the manifestation of the Azure Sky Sword's ultimate technique, Azure Sky Drive. As the Azure Sky Sword and the Demon God Spear's ultimate techniques collided, a tremendous shockwave swept through the entire forest. Trees were uprooted, and undergrowth turned to gray ash and settled.
Raon and the Demon Slaying Spear, as if unwilling to give each other a moment to breathe, unleashed new techniques, thrusting their sword and spear towards each other's vitals.
* * *
The Demon Slaying Spear, Kern, licked his lips as he watched Raon struggling to block the Demon God Spear's techniques.
'Raon Zieghart...'
He's the best prey, both for reputation and my satisfaction. With no way to fight the leaders of the Five Kings right now, Raon Zieghart was no different from the ultimate sacrifice to elevate his own status.
'It was a good decision to chase after Merlin.'
He had volunteered for a mission out of boredom from being stuck at Eden's headquarters, but he didn't expect such a windfall. It seemed his luck had been on a roll since leaving the Five Divine Orders.
"Draw out more heat!"
The Demon Slaying Spear stepped sideways and dove towards Raon's left side. Using the subtleties of the Demon God Spear, he struck Raon's waist with the bent spear shaft rather than the blade. Raon defended by tilting his Divine Sword, but his reaction was late, and he couldn't fully absorb the impact, causing his shoulder to tremble.
"We're just getting started! Keep up properly!"
The Demon Slaying Spear shouted that there was still a long way to go and swung the spear shaft like a staff. He brought down the thin spear blade towards Raon's crown, imbued with a rotational force that could destroy the sky.
"Hmm!"
When Raon raised both swords upward to defend, the Demon Slaying Spear slightly bent the spear shaft, aiming for the shoulder instead of the head. Raon quickly reacted by twisting his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, but unable to dissipate the powerful force imbued in the spear blade, his feet sank into the ground.
"Your feet are stuck. No need for you to pull them out, I'll do it for you."
The Demon Slaying Spear twisted his lips and swung the spear shaft horizontally. The spear shaft, curved like a full moon in the sky, raised waves of black flames that seemed to burn everything along its path.
Raon pulled his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword close to his chest to receive the Demon Slaying Spear's terrifying spear strike. However, the force of the spear strike was so strong that he was pushed back a long distance with his legs still stuck in the ground.
"Is that all you can do even after opening your Sword Domain?"
The Demon Slaying Spear clicked his tongue as if disappointed.
"It seems the title of Sword Emperor was too much for you to handle after all."
He snorted, muttering that the title was wasted.
"That's not for you to worry about."
Raon calmly shook his head, exhaling a short breath.
"You're right. It's not for me to worry about. But you should worry about my spear."
The Demon Slaying Spear curled his lips and thrust upward the spear blade he had planted in the ground. The aura that surged from the spear blade continued underground, causing a massive energy explosion beneath Raon's feet.
Raon tilted his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword downward, but unable to fully block the attack surging from the ground, his shoulders and waist were cut.
"Now I won't even give you time to breathe."
The Demon Slaying Spear advanced, crushing the ground, and thrust a spear strike towards Raon's chest. A single spear multiplied as if reflected in a mirror, becoming dozens of spear strikes aimed at Raon's entire body. Raon tried to block the spear strikes with his perfected dual-wielding swordsmanship, but unable to completely ward off the assault, he spilled blood from various parts of his body.
'As expected, he can't handle the Demon God Spear.'
The Demon God Spear is a martial art created to kill martial artists. It breaks the flow of the opponent's martial arts and imposes the flow of the Demon God Spear, allowing even fellow Transcendents to be handled like children.
"Is that all you've got! Use more strength!"
The Demon Slaying Spear curled his lips and thrust his spear blade like an arrow. The black energy imbued in the spear strike caused a vicious explosion in front of Raon's chest. Raon raised a Fire Wall to block the explosion of the Demon God Spear, but unable to completely erase the impact, he was pushed back and his knees trembled.
"Haa..."
Raon exhaled a deep, turbid breath as if exhausted.
"It's troublesome if you're tired already. Even that woman lasted longer than you."
The Demon Slaying Spear licked his lips, pointing at Merlin lying behind Raon.
"Now I understand."
Raon straightened his knees and slowly raised his head.
"What?"
The Demon Slaying Spear wrinkled his nose, looking at Raon's calm eyes.
"What do you understand?"
"I now know what kind of person you are."
Raon dusted off the dirt and blood on his uniform and Black Dragon Coat as if the fight was already over.
"You said you liked fighting, didn't you?"
Raon tilted his chin towards the Demon Slaying Spear.
"Yes. I like fighting more than any other value in the world."
The Demon Slaying Spear nodded as if to say, what's the point of saying that?
"I became strong to fight, and I created factions to fight. The reason I live and breathe is solely for heart-pounding battles!"
He curled his lips, saying he lived to fight.
"Are you enjoying it now?"
Raon asked, looking into the grinning Demon Slaying Spear's eyes.
"Yes. My heart is boiling. But your sword is a bit bland, so my excitement is starting to wane."
The Demon Slaying Spear gripped his spear shaft tightly, telling Raon to put in more effort.
"You don't like fighting."
Raon shook his head firmly.
"You just like fights you can win."
"Huh? What nonsense..."
The Demon Slaying Spear let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.
"From now on."
Raon tilted his Divine Sword downward, revealing a chilling gaze.
"I'll make you feel it."
"Spouting nonsense when you're on the brink of death!"
The Demon Slaying Spear gritted his teeth and charged at Raon. He wielded the Demon God Spear's ultimate technique that had dominated the fight so far, striking down at Raon's neck.
"Whether it's nonsense or not, the result will speak for itself."
Raon stepped forward with his left foot, his eyes calm. His Demonic Sword and Divine Sword extended gracefully like a dancer's movement, drawing red and blue flashes. The Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, emitting noble light, not only erased the Demon Slaying Spear's strike but also reached his neck.
"Uh, uh..."
The Demon Slaying Spear, unable to comprehend how his martial art was broken and Raon's sword was at his neck, trembled his jaw.
'What? When did he get so close?'
He clearly saw his spear blade digging into Raon's neck first, so he couldn't understand why his spear strike had disappeared and a blue sword was at his neck. He hadn't even felt it.
"Nonsense!"
The Demon Slaying Spear swung his spear shaft to knock away Raon's Demonic Sword at his neck.
"It won't work this time!"
Screaming, he swung his spear shaft above his head. He unleashed the Demon God Spear's ultimate technique, using massive air pressure and rotational force to strike down at Raon's head. Raon blocked the Demon God Spear's ultimate technique with just one Divine Sword and was aiming at his neck with the Demonic Sword. Blood trickled down above his neck due to the frost on the sword blade.
"Im-Impossible!"
The Demon Slaying Spear stepped back to avoid the Demonic Sword and thrust his spear shaft towards the sky.
"This is my full power!"
He stepped into a true stance and drew out his full aura. He pointed at Raon with his left fingertip and created an extreme rotational force on the spear shaft.
"Die!"
He shot out an extreme spear strike that erased even sound, imbued with rotational force that tore space and waves of black flames. Demon God Spear ultimate technique: Spear Wave Annihilation. The tyrannical spear strike that even cracked the air extended as if to erase Raon's very existence.
Raon, as if seeing through the Spear Wave Annihilation, raised his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword with unwavering eyes.
The flames burning from the Divine Sword unfurled golden silk that seemed to envelop heaven and earth, and the frost of the Demonic Sword drew a sword path where light shimmered like a dream. The harmony of the Dance of the Golden Flame and Silver Sword Dream.
The golden flames of the Dance of the Golden Flame gently enveloped and melted away the Spear Wave Annihilation, while the hazy sword strike of the Silver Sword Dream penetrated the Demon Slaying Spear's sharp senses and reached his neck.
"Ah..."
The Demon Slaying Spear, as if unable to imagine that the Spear Wave Annihilation would disappear so easily, trembled his lips while staring into space, even with the Demonic Sword's blade touching his neck.
"Keuuk!"
He fluttered his eyes like a rain-soaked butterfly, looking at the Demonic Sword's blade slowly digging into his neck.
"What about now..."
Raon looked down at the Demon Slaying Spear's eyes, filling with the emotion of fear, and raised his chin.
"Are you enjoying the fight?"