Chapter 563
Rimmer unleashed a piercing cold wind, as if blowing in from the North Sea, thrusting a red lightning bolt straight into the heart of the Dragon Swordmaster.
“Whoooosh!”
The Dragon Swordmaster, gripping the demonic sword Criathus, tightened his grip and set up a curve of dark magic.
“Crrrack!”
Red lightning and black magic collided, sending a powerful shockwave sweeping through the area.
“Rummmmble!”
The members of the Light Wind Division and the Holy Swordsmen around Rimmer and the Dragon Swordmaster were flung backwards involuntarily, rolling across the ground.
“…Spiritual enhancement?”
The Dragon Swordmaster furrowed his brow as he noticed the red aura on Rimmer’s sword.
“You’re surprised? As if you’ve never seen spiritual enhancement before.”
Rimmer curled his lips into a smirk, looking at the furrowed brow of the Dragon Swordmaster.
“Your recovery is fast, but it’s meaningless.”
The Dragon Swordmaster briefly nodded his head and twisted his wrist to the right. The blade of magic bent like a whip, plunging towards Rimmer’s back. It was a bizarre move, blocking the front and aiming for the back.
“That’s not for you to decide!”
Rimmer stepped forward into the space of the Dragon Swordmaster, raising a blue wind. The spiritual enhancement flowed with the wind, forming a shield on his back.
“Kyaaang!”
The magic blade fiercely fell, but it could not penetrate the thick aura barrier and dissipated helplessly.
“Tsk.”
The Dragon Swordmaster clicked his tongue, surprised his sudden strike was so easily blocked.
“You may look different, but I know how sly you are.”
Rimmer lightly swung his sword, drawing a sneer.
“Right. I know better than anyone.”
The Dragon Swordmaster might look like a saint, but in reality, he was a schemer harboring thousands of snakes in his heart. Not just in swordsmanship, but in psychological warfare, one could not afford to be careless.
“Damn that magic, can’t even afford to be careless.”
The threat wasn’t just the Dragon Swordmaster’s sword strikes, but the demonic magic of Criathus itself.
“Anyone below a master level would find it hard to even approach.”
The demonic sword indiscriminately scattered magic, dominating the space, not distinguishing between friend and foe. This made it difficult for Rimmer to move freely.
But he couldn’t run away or retreat, not just for revenge, but also for Raon and the members of the Light Wind Division behind him; he needed to swiftly defeat the Dragon Swordmaster.
“Boom!”
Rimmer advanced towards the Dragon Swordmaster with rough footwork. Wrapped in wind and lightning, his approach resembled a divine dragon soaring through the heavens.
“Don’t rush. The fight has just begun.”
The Dragon Swordmaster twisted his lips, igniting a spiritual enhancement with the flames of his sword. As it expanded in concentric circles, the ground turned dark and the air screamed.
“No. This ends here!”
Despite the overpowering might of the Dragon Swordmaster’s spiritual enhancement, Rimmer did not stop his advance and unleashed a grand sword strike.
“You fool!”
The Dragon Swordmaster didn’t back down either, thrusting his sword toward Rimmer’s neck.
“Kuwaaaang!”
The clash of wind and magic erupted, covering the Rakion estate in a gray surge.
Raon frowned as he observed the turbulence caused by Rimmer and the Dragon Swordmaster.
“Can he hold on?”
Rimmer had no resistance to magic, and his rationality was clouded by his anger towards the Dragon Swordmaster.
Even though his power was nearing its original level, Raon couldn’t be certain of victory.
“Chiiing!”
As the situation became chaotic, Cloud rushed from the left, swinging his sword with a quick and drastic change. His varied swordsmanship had evolved since their last encounter.
Raon bit his lip as he watched the incoming sword strike aimed at his heart.
“I must not clash.”
The gleaming spiritual enhancement on Cloud’s sword was evident. If they collided now, Raon would likely suffer grievous internal injuries.
“Thump!”
He twisted his ankle diagonally and performed the Supreme Harmony Steps, moving like a coral flowing with the current, using Cloud’s own force to retreat. He felt Cloud’s sword tip graze the edge of his Black Dragon Robe.
“What are you looking at? Your opponent is me!”
Cloud growled as he pursued. His footwork was fast and diverse, intent on giving no chance for a counterattack.
“You’re not wrong.”
Raon lifted his Celestial Sword, furrowing his brow.
“Right. Now’s not the time to be distracted.”
With most of his strength and aura depleted, and having sustained serious injuries, Cloud was a life-threatening opponent even under normal conditions. Raon needed full concentration.
“Chiiing!”
Cloud’s sword extended like a flash of light, splitting into multiple strikes targeting vital points.
“Is it the Illusionary Sword followed by the True Sword, and then the Absolute Sword?”
Cloud had mastered many swords, each ordinary move holding the power of other warriors’ special techniques. Blocking was hard, but dodging was even harder.
Raon held his breath and stepped into the wave of sword light. As he resonated seven rings of fire simultaneously, time seemed to slow down.
My reflection appeared in the attacking sword light, my concentration reaching its peak. I could even sense the opponent’s breathing.
“Chiiing!”
I dodged a strike aimed at my head by tilting my neck left, and diverted a slash at my waist with a thin aura around my Celestial Sword.
As Cloud’s sword strikes whizzed by, a chilling sensation crawled up my spine. Concentration has its limits; this was not sustainable.
“Without your famed Sword Manifestation, you’re just a straw man!”
Cloud sneered, pushing forward with a sword strike not of complex techniques but wrapped solely in the art of war.
“Smart.”
He had not forgotten his defeat in our previous encounter, simplifying his swordsmanship to focus on strength. It was a difficult style to counter.
“Should I call for Wrath’s help?”
If I struck a deal with Wrath, I could restore my strength and aura.
However, the more power I gained, the more of his rage I would have to endure.
“I’m already struggling to control my rage, and taking more could be dangerous.”
And there were still enemies to face, so now was not the time to rely on Wrath’s help. I had to overcome this on my own. Wrath seemed to understand this, watching silently without comment.
“Let’s see how long you can dodge!”
Cloud continued to swing his sword, still embedding simple techniques into his quick, precise strikes.
“Reduced complexity doesn’t change the fact it’s still swordsmanship.”
There must be a gap to exploit.
Cloud, a high-ranking swordsman, still incorporated sophisticated techniques into his seemingly straightforward strikes. I needed to understand this flow.
“Gooooo!”
I used not only the rings of fire but also the eye of rage and the sense of snow to observe the aura flow that Cloud was creating.
“As expected.”
Cloud was not just wielding his sword with brute strength; he had simplified his many swords to make it appear ordinary.
“Did he learn that from the Swordmaster of the Holy Sword Alliance?”
No, it felt slightly different.
While it was the same many swords, the techniques Cloud used now seemed to diverge from those he had used before. However, his flow felt oddly familiar.
“Woosh!”
I narrowed my eyes as Cloud aggressively swung his sword, aiming it seems for my right waist while his aura targeted my left shoulder.
“Right waist.”
Cloud, following the blueprint in his mind, targeted the right waist and spun his sword tip. My correct prediction allowed me some leeway in movement.
“Chiiing!”
After diverting Cloud’s sword, I penetrated his guard and struck down with my Soul Sword, cutting through his aura and wounding his thigh.
“You, you bastard!”
Cloud, not expecting to be wounded, widened his eyes and poured out a barrage of strikes.
“Huff…”
I exhaled turbidly, stepping back, but kept my eyes fixed on Cloud’s sword and aura.
“This time, it’s the core.”
Cloud erased his variations, aiming with strength and speed at my solar plexus.
“No, there’s more.”
I rotated the rings of fire screamingly as I observed the movement of his sword strike, which suddenly veered left, aiming to slice through my heart.
I bent backward at the waist, aligning my back horizontally with the ground, then used the rebound to swing up my Celestial Sword.
“Piak!”
This time, my Celestial Sword’s blade slashed through Cloud’s chest. Blood seeped from his chest wound.
“Shallow.”
The embedded magic prevented my usual movements. I clicked my tongue in frustration.
“Kugh…”
Cloud brushed off the flowing blood and ground his teeth.
“This is his swordsmanship, how could you!”
He couldn’t understand how his simplified sword strikes had been countered.
“His?”
I pondered the word Cloud had used, “his.”
“Not the Swordmaster?”
It seemed he had learned from someone else, not his mentor or the Swordmaster, given the use of “his.”
“Who could it be…”
“Damn your talent!”
Cloud exploded with pent-up rage and charged forward.
“Kwagwagwang!”
His aura spread out, tearing the ground and warping the air.
“Shoulder!”
I dodged a slashing strike aimed to rip through my shoulder, but then an aura surged from the left.
“I can’t dodge this.”
I twisted my body, drawing my Celestial Sword in a crescent motion.
While I executed a simultaneous evasion and deflection, Cloud’s blade harshly tore through my thigh.
“Damn!”
I endured the pain, refusing to buckle, and countered with my Soul Sword inverted.
“Boom!”
The blade, shimmering with spiritual energy, sliced through Cloud’s aura and carved into his shoulder.
“Die!”
Cloud, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, howled as he charged forward. His leg movements were unsteady as the flaming blade nearly grazed my neck. Red droplets flew into the air.
“Huff…”
Despite death nearing, I remained unflustered.
“Not yet.”
Cloud’s swordsmanship had grown recklessly rough, but its flow had not significantly changed. I was slowly completing the blueprint to defeat him.
I ignored the pain in my waist and thigh, focusing solely on Cloud’s sword.
“Left shoulder, right waist, right ankle, and neck!”
Cloud’s movements became clearer. His swordsmanship had quickened, but it was becoming easier to dodge.
I stopped moving my entire body to evade and instead briefly retreated from the targeted areas, conserving my strength and aura.
“What, what is this!”
Cloud stepped back, trembling as he shouted.
“How are you dodging this!”
He couldn’t understand the situation at all.
“Since that day, you haven’t progressed a single step.”
I curled my lips, feeling the end nearing.
“If I were at my peak, it would have ended with one strike.”
“Shut up!”
Cloud lost his composure and unleashed all his aura in a burst, swinging his sword. The aura-charged swordplay created a storm, erasing any room to dodge—a brutally effective assault.
“Kuwaaaaa!”
I watched the ground upheave and the incoming aura, but did not retreat.
“Finally, an opportunity.”
From an outsider’s perspective, it seemed an inescapable death, but this was the moment I had been waiting for.
“His energy is dispersed.”
While the aura’s range had increased, its density was reduced, meaning its power was not as formidable as before.
I endured, biding my time, and advanced to reap the benefits.
I gathered the remaining aura at my upper body and once again opened the sword system.
Instant Sword Manifestation: True Demon Harmony Technique.
Before the Celestial Sword and Soul Sword could fully take shape, I stepped forward.
“Now is not the time to complete the swords.”
In my worst condition, it was impossible to use the full Sword Manifestation properly.
Above my head, neither the sun nor the moon had risen, and the two swords did not blaze with flame and frost.
Incomplete Celestial and Demonic Swords. But it didn’t matter. Their sharpness was intact.
From my hands, a golden radiance blazed. My soul’s power pushed back Cloud’s energy wave, creating a void boundary where sword met sword.
“Sword Manifestation? No, this is…”
Confused, Cloud’s eyes widened as the crossed swords revealed their ruthless blades. The dignity of the Celestial Sword and the chill of the Demonic Sword merged in one technique.
“I won’t lose twice!”
Despite his panic, Cloud gathered his aura again and charged. Even in his confusion, his sword carried evident force.
“But…”
I had deciphered all his techniques.
The unified line of the Celestial and Demonic Swords twisted the flow of his aura and etched a red line across Cloud’s neck.
“I, I am not yet…”
Cloud, disbelieving his own demise, clutched at his slit throat, shuddering before falling backward. He looked up at me with bloodshot eyes, then dropped his gaze.
“It was good not to have killed you back then.”
I let the fading Celestial and Demonic Swords drop as I twitched my lips.
“Thanks to you, I’ve grown again.”
I bent to pick up the fallen swords, addressing the now unhearing Cloud.
“Cough!”
As I reached for the swords, I vomited black blood. The excessive extraction of aura had allowed the magic to penetrate deeper, shaking my organs.
“A second’s Sword Manifestation…”
The sacrifice was great, but it had secured my victory. Had I not made that decision, it wouldn’t be me standing here, but Cloud.
I clutched at my churning chest and lifted my gaze.
“Now, I must make a decision…”
