'Wrath.'
Raon called out to Wrath while keeping his gaze fixed on the Queen of Swords.
'You sense it too, don't you?'
A person's nature isn't something that changes easily. Especially seeing how she's shown a completely different side in this short moment, it seemed clear that another entity had entered the Queen of Swords' body.
-Of course.
Wrath nodded immediately, as if to say "why even ask?
-Another soul has taken residence in that woman's body.
He turned his chin slightly, indicating his certainty.
'Is it a demon descending from Devildom, like you?'
Raon's dying embers of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation flared up again, considering the possibility that a demon king or demon like Wrath could have taken possession of the Queen of Swords' body.
-It is not.
Wrath shook his head firmly, as if to say absolutely not.
-What's inside that woman's body is clearly human.
He twisted his lips, stating that it wasn't a being from another dimension, but a human of this world.
'A human...?'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Queen of Swords, who was smiling faintly.
'Could it be the Leader of the White Blood Religion?'
The Leader of the White Blood Religion is currently possessing Martha's mother's body. The thought occurred to him that she might have stolen the Queen of Swords' body using a similar spell.
'No, that's not it.'
I don't sense any negative energy from that woman. While the Queen of Swords' eyes were gleaming strangely, there was no sense of evil energy like bloody energy or demonic energy. As Wrath said, she seemed like an ordinary human.
-That is correct.
Wrath nodded calmly.
-What's inside that woman is human. Though there is a slight scent of magic.
He flicked his hand, indicating that while there was some indescribable magical aura flowing, it was indeed an ordinary human.
"Before I tell you who I am."
The Queen of Swords approached him with slow, dragging steps.
"Why don't you step back?"
Her voice was identical to the Queen of Swords', but her tone was light and hollow. It was now certain. A different soul currently resided in Brigitte the Queen of Swords' body.
"You shouldn't interfere with a hard-earned moment of enlightenment, right?"
The Queen of Swords beckoned to him as if calling a child.
"I only blocked your path because I thought you might interfere with the Thespian Emperor."
Raon frowned, not lowering his Heavenly Drive.
"Ah, I suppose a martial artist like the Sword Emperor wouldn't give an opportunity only to take it away. My apologies."
The Queen of Swords clasped her hands in front of her chest as if apologizing.
"..."
Raon bit his tongue as he watched the Queen of Swords apologize so casually.
'She's become so light-hearted.'
Not just her way of speaking, but her personality seemed incomparably lighter than the original Queen of Swords.
"You asked who I am? My name is Briana."
The Queen of Swords smiled brightly as she revealed the name Briana, not Brigitte. It was an expression the original would never show.
"Briana..."
Raon furrowed his brow deeply as he muttered the name Briana.
"Come this way."
Briana beckoned to him as if inviting him to join her.
"Where are you trying to go?"
Raon asked without moving his feet.
"Didn't you have business with me?"
Briana tilted her head, asking if he didn't want a proper duel.
"A duel..."
Raon took a slow breath as he sensed Briana's calm aura.
'This is strange.'
Briana possessed the Queen of Swords' body and aura, yet strangely emitted an aura that suggested she wouldn't lose to him.
'Is she bringing power from her original body while bearing the causality, like you?'
Raon turned his eyes to Wrath.
-That is not the case. Only the soul has changed.
Wrath shook his head, saying that as a human, she couldn't use such a method.
'Then can such a difference be made just by changing the soul?'
He became curious about what aspect of Briana made him sense such a vastly different strength.
"Hmm..."
Raon looked back.
"Th-thank you for taking care of our lord."
"Don't worry about this side."
"W-we will protect our lord."
The White Whale martial artists guarded around her, weapons in hand, as if they wouldn't move until the Thespian Emperor woke up.
"I'll trust you."
He didn't want to ruin this opportunity after creating such a big debt with the Thespian Emperor, and it seemed her subordinates would protect her on their own.
"You all follow me."
Raon gestured to the Light Wind Palace swordsmen and followed behind Briana. She looked around the market and shops outside the training ground, exchanging light greetings with people. It was completely different from the typically taciturn Queen of Swords.
"Doesn't the Queen of Swords seem strange?"
"I felt it too. She seems to have gone mad after losing the duel..."
Krein and Burren let out a sigh, saying she was too different from the Queen of Swords they had heard about in rumors.
"She's been replaced..."
"Yes. There's something else there, not the Queen of Swords."
Runaan and Martha seemed to realize that a different entity was in the Queen of Swords' body, perhaps due to their experiences from childhood.
"Eek..."
Dorian also shuddered, sensing through his Mind's Eye that the Queen of Swords had changed.
"This should do, right? There's no one around."
Briana shrugged as she looked around the training ground set up on the outskirts of Barene.
"This time, let's fight properly..."
"Before that."
Raon raised his hand to Briana, who was loosening her shoulders.
"Tell me who you are."
"I told you, I'm Briana."
Briana smiled as if to ask what more he needed.
"You know that's not what I'm asking, don't you?"
Raon frowned as he looked at Briana.
"If you're curious, try beating me. I'll tell you everything then."
Briana smiled as she placed her hand on the sword at her waist.
'Is her fighting style the same?'
The Queen of Swords was a swordsman who knew how to use the Drawing Technique, and it seemed Briana was also going to use the Drawing Technique.
"Alright."
Raon nodded as he exhaled briefly.
"It shouldn't be too difficult."
In truth, he had sustained some internal injuries from taking the Thespian Emperor's brute attacks head-on, but he was confident he wouldn't lose to Briana.
"It feels refreshing. You... Ah!"
Briana's refreshing smile turned into a frown.
"Shut up for a bit!"
She stomped her foot, yelling at the empty air in frustration.
"Talk internally? You should do that yourself! I'm not embarrassed at all!"
The Queen of Swords clicked her tongue roughly and approached him.
"Sorry! Let's start now."
She nodded, saying to begin the duel immediately.
"...Very well."
Raon was about to question Briana but decided against it.
'I'll find out if I win the fight.'
He had a vague idea, but it didn't matter right now. Winning this duel was what mattered.
"Shall we begin?"
Briana lightly bounced in place as if skipping rope, then vanished like smoke. With a whoosh, she reappeared to his right. In a flash, Briana leaped through space and extended an extremely fast Drawing Technique. By the time he noticed, her sword was already at his neck.
With a clang, Raon only turned the angle of the Heavenly Drive he was holding at mid-level to block Briana's sword strike aimed at his neck.
'Ugh.'
Was speed all there was to it? Although he defended, he was late in blocking, causing a shock that felt like it would shatter the bones in his wrist and arm.
'Speed isn't everything.'
Briana used the same swordsmanship and footwork as the Queen of Swords, but their power was worlds apart. It was as if the martial arts itself had changed.
"It would be troublesome if you're surprised by just this much."
Briana smiled and flicked her hand as if to say this was just the beginning.
"I know."
Raon thrust his Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques at Briana as she stood still. With a whoosh, thirty-six sparks shot out as if to tear apart the earth, but Briana had already left that space.
"You're strong! Then I'll go again!"
The moment Briana smiled and swung her sword, a chilling sensation was felt behind his back. With a clang, Raon moved his Heavenly Drive first without even turning around to deflect the black flash of sword energy digging into his shoulder.
'Her sword strikes are like needles.'
Briana's sword strikes penetrate flesh and muscle and shake bones even when properly defended against. It was swordsmanship with terrifying penetrating power.
"You'll end up with chronic pain if you don't block properly, you know?"
Briana lightly shook her sword, telling him to focus on defense.
"You've become quite talkative."
Raon frowned as he drew the form of a red dragon above the tip of his Heavenly Drive. With a roar, the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation Heavenly Drive Flame Dragon Strike. A crimson dragon wrapped in flames incinerated everything before his eyes. With a whoosh.
Briana burst out from the left, breaking through the gray smoke and heat. She seemed to have used the Quick Sword footwork to escape the range of the Flame Dragon Strike.
With a swish, she stomped on the flames rising from the ground and thrust her sword towards his heart.
"Your power is insane."
Briana exclaimed in admiration, but her eyes didn't fear his sword. With a clang, Raon deflected Briana's sword strike that was digging in like a thorn at his feet and let out a low groan.
'It's clearly the same swordsmanship, yet there's such a difference.'
Briana was using the Queen of Swords' body to employ her swordsmanship and footwork, yet she was creating an unbelievably large difference. It felt like he was dreaming.
'From now on, I'll have to face her as a completely different entity.'
Raon unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation Flame and Ice Unification and the Azure Sky Sword's Great Bind of the Heavy Sky in succession to block Briana's attacks and cut off the space where she could move.
"This is fun!"
But Briana easily deflected his offensive and countered with sharp counterattacks. It was like a cornered mouse biting a cat.
"Hmm..."
Raon furrowed his brow as he deflected Briana's thrust by a paper-thin margin.
"I'll keep going."
Briana fired a series of Quick Sword thrusts at him as he frowned. With a series of clangs, Raon used the Fire Wall to block the Queen of Swords' thrusts, but the shield of flames didn't last long before shattering like a spider web. His aura couldn't withstand the sharpness of Briana's aura.
"Now I understand."
Briana nodded as if she could see through him.
"You've only been using powerful swordsmanship since reaching Transcendence, right?"
She licked her lips slowly and thrust an even faster and sharper sword.
"That's..."
Raon bit his lip as he deflected Briana's thrust.
"What do you mean?"
"You can't read moves because you've only fought opponents who are far stronger or weaker than you, right?"
Briana twisted her lips into a smile, saying it was too easy to fight him. With a clang, Raon gritted his teeth as he barely blocked Briana's sword strike that was digging into his skin.
'Now that I think about it...'
She's not entirely wrong. Most of the recent battles were either overwhelming opponents with sheer power, like when breaking through encirclements, or gambling with big techniques to handle overpowering states like the Black Tower Master or The Fallen.
The Demon Slaying Spear. Except for that last fight where he regained his senses, almost all the battles were one-sided.
"Looks like I'm right?"
Briana nodded as if she knew it all along.
"How did you know?"
"There's something that shows in your sword. The conviction that 'I am strong.'"
She smirked with the Queen of Swords' solemn face, as if finding it amusing.
"I'll shatter that conviction today."
Briana disappeared before her words were fully heard and popped up right in front of him. With a clang, she aimed for his abdomen. He hurriedly lowered the Heavenly Drive to defend, but the timing was late, causing a sharp pain in his hands and shoulders.
"Ugh..."
Raon took a short breath.
'She's honed the Precision Sword, Quick Sword, Elegant Sword, and Observant Sword to the extreme.'
Not to mention her footwork. Briana's mastery of those four sword principles was superior to his own, and her footwork was even better. However, that alone couldn't explain the current overwhelming force.
'What am I missing?'
Raon furrowed his brow as he clashed his Crimson Slash against Briana's chilling thrust.
'Can such a result be achieved just by changing the soul, when the aura and body remain the same?'
It was incomprehensible, making him flustered and causing his sword to waver even more.
"What do you think swordsmanship is?"
Briana asked while keeping her sword locked with his.
"Swordsmanship is merely a method of using a sword."
"That's an answer befitting a Transcendent who has realized the sword."
Briana nodded, saying it was correct.
"The same swordsmanship can fail to cut even a twig in one person's hands, or split the sky in another's. However..."
She pointed to herself and raised her chin.
"I think of swordsmanship as chess."
"Chess?"
Raon lowered his eyebrows as he deflected Briana's sword coming straight down.
"Yes. A swordsman's duel is like a siege. The opponent's swordsmanship is the wall and gate. We have to think about how to break and penetrate that wall."
Briana twisted her lips and shook her head.
"But it seems your walls have already been breached."
With that chilling voice, Briana's sword strike sliced through Raon's right side.
***
"Hah."
Briana licked her lips long and hard as she watched Raon, who didn't even seem to notice the wound on his side.
'A swordsman approaching perfection, is he?'
Body, mind, swordsmanship, and mindset. Raon was a swordsman walking towards perfection more than anyone she had seen so far. If he continued to grow like this, he would become a great vessel at the pinnacle of the Continent.
'But I won't lose in a swordsmanship duel.'
In the mental world where a single faint light was everything, she had repeated the Supreme Swordsmanship and Hundred Battles Preservation hundreds of thousands, no, millions of times. The martial arts principles contained in the Supreme Swordsmanship and Hundred Battles Preservation had gone beyond internalization to become one with her soul.
Especially since she had endless duels with Brigitte, who brought external swordsmanship into the mental world where time didn't exist, she was confident she would never lose in a battle of sword techniques.
With a whistle, Briana licked her lips after breaking through Raon's defense and wounding his thigh.
'What a shame.'
Various sword principles, a body reaching perfection, and limitless aura. The finest ingredients were gathered, but Raon still couldn't create a proper dish.
'I understand the reason.'
Raon probably didn't try to subdue opponents with just strength and powerful martial arts from the beginning. He likely changed like this after experiencing various battles, so it wouldn't be easy to fix now.
'Shall I end this?'
Brigitte had asked her not to kill him, just to break him, so it seemed best to end it before any unexpected attacks could happen. With a whoosh, Briana licked her lips as she watched Raon bring down a heavy sword strike.
'A siege starts with withstanding the enemy's attack.'
She gently received Raon's sword strike, which contained a heavy force by tilting her sword diagonally.
'Now it's time to break the opponent's gate.'
She thrust her sword at Raon, who stepped back after failing his attack. With a bang, Raon raised a shield and spear of flames, but her sword penetrated his aura in a split second. With a hum, Raon roughly raised his Heavenly Drive with golden flames blazing, befitting a Transcendent, to block her offensive.
'I read this too.'
Briana used Raon's fiercely rising sword strike to her advantage and thrust her sword towards his neck.
'Now it's time to take the king's head.'
Just as she thought it was all over and was about to stop her sword in front of Raon's neck. With a hum, Raon's sword, which had failed to catch her swordsmanship until now, bent with an alien trajectory. With a clang, a perfect defensive swordsmanship without a single inch of error blocked the Supreme Swordsmanship's killing technique and struck down her sword. With a swish.
For the first time, Briana was pushed back not by her own will, but by Raon's sword. Deep footprints were engraved on the floor of the training ground, just as the Queen of Swords had left, unable to fully dissipate the force.
"Huh?"
The Queen of Swords swallowed dry saliva as she looked at the steaming footprints on the ground.
"Swordsmanship is a battle of techniques? You're right. It was."
Raon's eyes flashed with the flame of interest.
"Thank you for reminding me."