Chapter 561
“Advance!” Burren’s ringing cry triggered the Light Wind Division to deploy the Grand Typhoon Formation in their fixed positions.
Each swordsman’s strength had grown considerably, and having experienced death, their souls had awoken, making the Grand Typhoon Formation more robust than ever.
“Sweep away the devils that plague Zieghart!” Martha surged forward, inducing a berserker state. The Light Wind Squad supported her from behind, turning the Grand Typhoon Formation into a spear that ruthlessly pierced through the Rakion swordsmen’s momentum.
Their eyes, becoming a literal storm, showed not a hint of fear.
Roaaar!
The red currents of the Light Wind Division and the dark magic of the Rakion swordsmen collided head-on, causing massive fissures to spread across the earth.
“Damn it…” Bels Rakion clenched his teeth as he saw his subordinates’ hardened expressions.
Craaack!
Kodeng, wielding a leaf-shaped sword, was Rimmer who easily deflected Bels’ long sword and wagged his finger from side to side.
“How dare you underestimate me.”
Rimmer grinned and kicked Bels in the abdomen.
Pooof!
With a sound like a popping balloon, Bels was sent flying, rolling across the ground.
“The head of the Light Wind Division is not that insolent fool, it’s me!” Rimmer pointed to himself with his thumb.
“Since the tastiest part has been snatched away, I’ll have to settle for crushing you.” “Ugh…” Bels groaned, staring down at the fierce glare in Rimmer’s eyes.
“Light Blade…”
Biting down on his lip so hard it bled, Bels raised his magic-infused long sword.
“The land belongs to Rakion!” “Not anymore.” A red lightning burst from Rimmer’s grasp, cutting through the green winds.
“Of all times to ally with the Holy Sword Alliance, you’ve made an irreversible mistake.” He struck down Bels’ magic with a blade that merged wind and lightning.
Roaaar!
Red lightning and dark magic exploded by the second, shrouding the air in dense smoke.
Boom!
Raon, having confirmed the battle between the Light Wind Division and the Rakion family had begun, stepped onto the Supreme Harmony Steps.
The divine sword’s flame and the magic sword’s frost scraped the ground, and the energies laid in the earth screamed as they burst open.
“Rumors said that the Sword Realm Manifestation was opened, but…” Juan bit his lip as he lifted the magic sword Criathus.
“This magic sword renders everything meaningless before it!” As he said this, a dense magic surged up his sword. He had absorbed the magic he had instilled in his subordinates earlier, awakening the energy of Criathus.
Whoosh!
Juan Rakion thrust his magic sword spectacularly.
Twelve blades of magic curved like streams, aggressively targeting the heart. The swordplay itself seemed alive.
Gooooo!
Raon concentrated aura into his left leg’s mana circuit. Moving across the cracked earth with the Supreme Harmony Steps, he raised his divine sword with his right hand. The half-moon arc of his red blade blocked the dark flashes.
Roaaar!
Divine sword versus magic sword. Flame against magic clashed, causing an uproarious noise as if thousands of humans were screaming.
Zzzzzt!
The red blade and the dark blade fiercely competed without yielding an inch, covering the surroundings in purple sparks.
“Is that all you’ve got!” Juan pushed forward his black-eyed magic sword, heavy as if loaded with the souls of the dead.
“You’ll pay thoroughly for killing my son!” “Don’t you care about your daughter?” Raon twisted his lips, looking down.
“Sirelen is a failure! Nothing but a traitor who abandoned her family!” “Sirelen had the courage to save you fools.”
Bursting with rage, he thrust his magic sword. Flames and frost crossed diagonally, beginning to push back the magic of Criathus.
“Ending Sirelen’s efforts with your own hands, you’ve done it.” Raon’s lips curled as he locked eyes with Juan’s black pupils.
“I’ll make sure you regret it even in death.” As he spoke, the congregated energies couldn’t withstand it any longer and exploded into a massive burst. Darkness filled his vision, rising eerily.
Boom!
Raon, using his divine and magic swords as torches, advanced through the murky darkness. His speed, honed by mastering spatial swordplay, felt as though red and blue wings had sprouted on his back.
Before Juan could regroup, Raon caught up and performed a mournful dance with his divine and magic swords.
Whoa!
From the red blade, flames blossomed, and from the blue blade, frost petals scattered. This display was his Fire and Ice Spirits.
Like cherry blossoms brushed by spring, the petals detached from the blade. Hundreds of energy shards enveloped Juan.
Roaaar!
As Raon drove his divine and magic swords downward, the fallen petals seemed to gain new life, stirring up a storm of flames and frost.
“Argh!”
Juan’s eyes narrowed as he twisted his magic sword to the right. The twelve blade edges vibrated as if alive, spewing forth waves of magic.
Kwaaang!
The storm of Fire and Ice Spirits and the tidal wave of magic covered the earth and sky, causing countless explosions.
Raon threw himself into the exploding chaos. As he sped up, his field of view sharply narrowed, but Juan’s magic was vividly felt.
On the blades of the divine and magic swords, a ferocious beast’s roar resonated. The technique he had learned from Shirley, the dual swordplay, had evolved deeper, wildly scattering flames and frost.
Roaaar!
The immense energy carried by the two blades finally tore through the sticky magic, plummeting towards Juan’s chest.
Yet Juan, as befits a leader of the Vongshin warriors, was not easily flustered. He smoothly retreated, whipping his magic sword like a fan.
Whoosh!
A fog of magic rose, twisting the trajectory of the divine and magic swords. It wasn’t just a display of magic power; his swordplay’s intricacies were also fully present. He was indeed an opponent not to be underestimated.
‘However…’
His swordplay was unbalanced.
The explosive force of the magic was so overwhelming that his swordplay and aura could not extend properly. Targeting this gap seemed the best tactic.
Chiiiing!
Raon leaned forward, lifting both swords from below. He charged like a bull, piercing through the center of the incoming magic.
Kuuung!
He rotated the flames and frost in a counterclockwise motion, dispersing the concentrated magic. Criathus, now exposed like a bare blade, revealed its vulnerabilities.
‘Now!’
Raon gripped his divine and magic swords, pressing down on the curved blade edges of Criathus.
Jeeeeeeng!
Red and blue blades and the dark blade edges once again collided head-on, sweeping a massive shockwave across the area.
“Argh…”
Juan trembled, not expecting his gathered magic to melt away so easily.
“Damn Zieghart! Curse this Sword Realm Manifestation!”
He cursed, twisting his wrist. The fifth and seventh blade edges of his magic sword viciously vibrated, batting away the divine and magic swords.
However, Juan’s large movements created new openings.
As Raon was about to thrust his divine sword into one of these openings, Juan desperately rolled his foot.
Kuuung!
A tremendous magic struck down, twisting the earth’s axis and mercilessly splitting the ground.
Raon used the crumbling land as stepping stones to advance, but Juan had already retreated using the recoil of swinging his magic sword.
“The one who will regret is you!”
His lips twisted as he horizontally slashed his magic sword. Before the sound could reach, a sinister blade like a crescent moon lying down aimed at the neck.
Chiiiing!
Raon crossed his divine and magic swords. Lines of flame and frost extended, grinding the magic blade to dust.
Raon, hidden by the dust cloud that erupted, darted to Juan’s left side.
“You, you bastard!”
Juan frantically tried to move when Raon entered his space with the Supreme Harmony Steps, slashing down with his divine sword and stabbing with his magic sword.
Kwaaa!
The red-hot divine blade tore through the twelfth blade of the unprepared Criathus, and the blue spike pierced Juan’s side.
Pukaak!
For the first time, a deep wound burst open, and Juan’s complexion rapidly paled.
“Is that all you’ve got to challenge Zieghart?”
Raon twisted his lips as he approached Juan, kicking the broken blade of Criathus aside and tilting his head arrogantly.
“Why aren’t you affected by magic? You should rot just by being exposed to it!”
Juan, unable to comprehend, shook his jaw.
“You’re weak.”
Raon looked at the black magic emanating from Criathus, shaking his head.
Resistance to magic, plus the divine purging of intrusive magic, meant that the magic sword’s energy had no effect on him.
“No, this can’t be… Don’t panic. It’s only just beginning.”
Raon’s eyes burst with red lightning as he charged at Juan.
Pushing the magic aside, he stepped forward with his right foot as Juan gripped Criathus, stamping the ground. A fog of magic sprang up, blocking the way.
“No use running.”
Biting his lips, he cut through the magic, following Juan’s presence.
“What?”
Raon paused mid-dash through the split magic, speechless from incredulity.
“That madman…”
Instead of targeting him, Juan had stabbed his magic sword Criathus into the chests of his own subordinates carrying magic.
“Ugh… Lord!”
“Why are you…?”
The Rakion family swordsmen watched in horror as the magic sword’s blade pierced their hearts, shaking uncontrollably as betrayal etched itself in their eyes.
Gooooo!
Eleven blade edges tore through twenty chests, filling the magic sword with energy.
- That irredeemable trash!
Wrath’s eyes blazed with blue flames as he stood up.
- To think he’s extracting magic by killing his own men! How can such trash exist!
He valued his subordinates highly, and his genuine anger at Juan’s actions was palpable.
- Kill that bastard quickly! Tear him to pieces!
‘I was planning to anyway.’
Raon cut through the fog of magic, advancing towards Juan.
“Power… It’s all because of a lack of power!”
Juan’s eyes rolled back in madness. The Rakion family swordsmen he had stabbed were already turning into something worse than zombies, their flesh and blood drained, as they collapsed into the cracked earth.
Kugugugugu!
Above Criathus, grand magic flared, forming a dark sun.
“Aaaaack!”
“Lord…”
“Why are you doing this!”
The mighty wave of magic from the dark sun melted the nearby Rakion swordsmen into pools of blood. As the magic-bearing humans died, the dark sun flared even darker.
‘We can’t just leave it like this.’
Raon bit his lip as he stepped into the range of the dark sun.
“Everyone, fall back!”
He ordered the Light Wind Division to retreat to avoid casualties, and he charged at Juan.
The closer he got to him, the more the magic clung like a swamp. His fingertips trembled, and his mana circuits constricted, slowing the movement of his aura, but he pressed on relentlessly, like the horn of a beast.
“Die!”
Juan unleashed the dark sun with Criathus, erasing the atmosphere and warping the space.
Raon used the recoil of his advance to slash with his divine sword and unfurl Frost Chains with his magic sword. Both were attacks. He disregarded defense, intent solely on killing Juan.
Zzzzzt!
Heat, cold, and magic clashed, shaking heaven and earth. A grey whirlwind surged between the blades, sucking in everything around.
Chiiiing!
Raon twisted his divine and magic swords within the unbearable pressure. A clear wind rose between the heat and cold, unifying the discordant energies into a single line.
Roaaar!
Explosively, the flames and frost surged, Juan’s hand trembling as his magic sword seemed about to break.
“Uaaaah!”
Juan screamed like a beast as he forced strength into his hand holding Criathus.
Even at this late stage, the essence of his swordsmanship, refined by a warrior’s instinct, wrapped around his blade. The movements were precise and powerful, characteristic of a master swordsman.
“It’s too late for regrets now.”
Raon unleashed his fury. The energies of the divine and magic swords blazed up together, casting a grand light.
Kooong!
Juan couldn’t withstand the force and staggered back as Raon, pressing his left foot into the earth, lunged forward, releasing both swords.
He performed the Flame Dragon and Water Dragon Techniques simultaneously, attacking the magic-burning sun.
A terrifying explosion covered the area, breaking the magical barrier, and reducing five edges of Criathus to dust.
“Cough…”
Juan stumbled backward, his face aging twenty years in a moment, looking utterly defeated.
“Father!”
Bels Rakion, despite having lost his left arm to Rimmer, rushed to Juan without hesitation.
But…
Juan, fighting for his life, pierced his eldest son’s abdomen with Criathus.
“Father? What’s this…”
“Thank you. Your sacrifice has saved me.”
The degradation of a martial artist, who had lived a life filled with inferiority, was more wretched than that of demons born from evil.
“Father…”
Bels collapsed, his skin dried out like a drought-stricken field, his eyes melting away, unable to look away from Juan even in death.
“Huuk…”
Juan, rejuvenated by consuming the magic-rich Bels, stood up, his aura stronger than before.
“Is this the life you wanted?”
Raon bit down on his lip.
“To ally with the Holy Sword Alliance, to entrust your soul to a magic sword, to kill your own son—what are you trying to achieve?”
“Shut up!”
Juan roared like a beast, lifting Criathus again.
“I will avenge my children!”
As if the magic had seeped into his marrow, he swung Criathus, fusing swordsmanship and explosive magic into a dark wave that melted everything it touched.
“I will deny your choice.”
Raon stretched his left leg forward, bending his knees. He pulled back his divine sword to his right shoulder and his magic sword to his right waist, concentrating all remaining energy there.
The flames of the divine sword and the frost of the magic sword slowly subsided, glowing faintly like dying embers.
Chiiiing!
As the magic sword’s tidal wave grazed his hair, Raon harnessed the power from beneath his feet, adding rotation and pressure, and released it explosively from his fingertips.
Raon Zieghart-style sword technique.
Form 6: Divine-Magic Harmony Strike, Azure-Scarlet Invincible Sword.
The intensely compressed energies of the divine and magic swords exploded in a fleeting moment, ruthlessly tearing through the wave of magic.
Roaaar!
He moved through the center of the torn magic like the eye of a storm. The cooling heat and the receding frost carved through the magic sword with both blades, slicing off Juan’s arms.
“Kuhuk!”
Juan spewed black blood from both shoulders as he collapsed. His dark eyes trembled endlessly, filled with terror and dismay.
Raon stepped over the magic sword Criathus, approaching Juan.
Though the Sword Realm Manifestation had dissipated due to his drained energy, it didn’t matter. The Heavenly Sword and the Soul Sword were still sharp.
Thump!
He drove the Heavenly Sword downward, embedding it into Juan’s shoulder.
Zzzzt!
The silver blade was stained with fiery red blood as it scorched Juan’s magic and flesh.
“Aaaaah!”
Juan writhed in agonizing pain, his head flailing wildly as he screamed.
“Just, just a moment! I’ll tell you who I dealt with. Why we are…”
“You’re not someone I need information from.”
Raon gripped the Soul Sword in reverse and plunged it into Juan’s heart.
Yellow essence swirled up like haze, keeping Juan’s breathing alive while it started to extract all the magic lodged within him.
“Aaaaah!”
Juan suffered as if his flesh and veins were being pulled out, but he couldn’t move due to the Heavenly Sword embedded in his shoulder.
“Please, please stop! I’d rather die…”
“I told you.”
Raon looked down at Juan with dry eyes, twisting his jaw.
“I’ll make you regret even in death. This is just the beginning.”
He watched as Juan’s blood vessels burst one by one until they were completely drained.
“Aaaah…”
Juan’s eyes closed in fear, more terrified of Raon’s red gaze than the pain of the magic being sucked out, as he screamed intermittently until his breathing stopped abruptly.
“This is the ignoble end of the renowned head of the Rakion family, how pitiful.”
“This trash doesn’t deserve a quick death. We should give him every possible pain before he dies.”
Burren and Martha, along with Runaan, seemed to agree, nodding grimly.
“Kneel!”
“Drop your weapons. The fight is over.”
“Anyone still holding a weapon will be cut down.”
The Light Wind Division halted the battle within the paused field, disarming the Rakion swordsmen and forcing them to kneel.
“It’s always easier to fight with a good leader.”
“Even with the situation turned against us, he used it to end the fight. That’s what makes him remarkable.”
“It looks like there are no casualties, a perfect victory.”
The Light Wind Division swordsmen, having suffered no significant losses, smiled at Raon.
“Captain?”
Rimmer blinked, suddenly at a loss as the adversary disappeared.
“Where’s the captain?”
He flicked his fingers forward, but no one turned back.
“I’m the chief, right? You guys aren’t already mistaking Raon for the chief, are you? Huh? Guys?”
Still, no response came, and only Rimmer’s voice echoed emptily.
“Hey, you guys!”
His exclamation hung in the air, a reminder of the turmoil and sacrifices of the day, overshadowed by Raon’s decisive leadership and the grim realities of their victory.
