Chapter 797
Raon slightly curled his lips as he looked at Lawrence, whose face was scrunched in irritation.
‘He’s really pissed.’
Well, things had gotten loud.
Even a Master-level warrior could block out sound using aura or by sealing their hearing points.
However, no matter how well one blocked noise, they couldn’t stop vibrations.
Since Raon had been striking against the Sword Master of Demonic Blade and Sword Master of Melodic Blade, generating wind-induced vibrations, he had expected Lawrence to come out.
“How is this even possible? Earlier and now, just how are you still standing?”
Lawrence lowered his chin, glaring at Raon.
“I struck you hard enough that you should be bedridden for days, yet—!”
“My body is just a bit sturdy.”
Raon patted his chest with his fist and smiled.
‘Though, it did hurt.’
Earlier, Lawrence had struck his solar plexus with full intent to knock him unconscious.
The blow carried enough power to take down even a Grand Master, but Raon’s body, which rivaled that of a Transcendent, coupled with the protective armor of Snow Flower Armor, had reduced the impact enough for him to endure it.
– “This brat isn’t just a leech—he’s an iron leech.”
Wrath shook his head.
– “He’s disgustingly tough and refuses to let go! He’s going to keep sucking blood until you shrivels up!”
Wrath ground his teeth, clearly regretting his involvement.
“A… a bit sturdy?”
“If it were us, we’d be halfway to the afterlife…”
The Sword Master of Melodic Blade and Sword Master of Demonic Blade exhaled in disbelief.
“Do you have no sense of guilt?”
Lawrence approached Raon, pressing his lips together tightly.
“Just because it’s a sparring match, do you think it’s fine to disturb others? It’s impossible to sleep with all this noise!”
He shouted, practically begging Raon to leave.
“Hmm, that’s true.”
Raon calmly nodded, acknowledging his mistake.
“I should apologize.”
“I don’t need an apology! Just get out of my sight!”
Lawrence extended his hand, demanding Raon leave the mountain immediately.
“But I still have to apologize.”
“I said I don’t need—”
“No, not to you, but to them.”
Raon pointed not at Lawrence but at a large zelkova tree beside the cave he had emerged from.
A family of squirrels poked their heads out of a hole in the tree.
In truth, since Raon had deliberately directed the vibrations inside the cave, the squirrels hadn’t been affected at all.
The reason they had come outside wasn’t the tremors—it was Lawrence’s shouting.
“This is their mountain, right? I’m sorry about the noise. It’ll be over soon, so please bear with it a little longer.”
Raon clasped his hands together and bowed deeply toward the squirrels.
Ssshh.
The squirrels, upon making eye contact with him, quickly retreated back into their hole.
– “T-Truly villainous….”
Wrath trembled, his thick jaw quivering.
– “I’ve lived for countless years, but this is the first time I’ve seen a lunatic who apologizes to squirrels just to mess with someone!”
He sighed, declaring that Raon was, without a doubt, the craziest person in the entire dimension.
“Grrrgh….”
Lawrence was so enraged that he was practically foaming at the mouth. Even with the mental fortitude of a Transcendent, he couldn’t endure it.
“Haaah!”
“N-No, this is just….”
Even the Sword Master of Demonic Blade and Sword Master of Melodic Blade, who had been enjoying the spectacle, blinked in disbelief.
“Fine! If that’s what you want, I’ll fight you right now!”
Lawrence ground his teeth and stepped forward.
“But this time, you won’t be getting up again!”
His golden eyes burned even brighter, fueled by fury.
“You’re ignoring proper turns? You don’t understand order.”
Raon bowed his head slightly, as if asking the Sword Master of Demonic Blade for permission.
“Turns? Order? You’re the last person who should be saying that!”
Lawrence shouted, finding the entire situation absurd.
“There’s no winning against your mouth. I think I know who you take after!”
Clicking his tongue, he suddenly vanished. His presence completely disappeared, as if he had become an illusion.
‘I can’t trust my eyes. Same with my senses.’
Lawrence’s movement technique created illusions that fooled both vision and perception.
What he needed to find was the emotion—Lawrence’s burning anger.
‘Not from the left… but behind!’
Raon ignored the faint presence on his left and instead turned toward the source of Lawrence’s rage.
Whooosh!
The moment he turned, Lawrence’s outstretched hand came slicing toward him like a tree branch.
Srrrng!
As if waiting for this moment, Raon bent his knees and thrust his Heavenly Drive forward.
[Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Thirty-Six Crimson Slashes.]
A supreme sword technique that stabbed in thirty-six directions in an instant, infused with the intricacy of extreme speed.
Unlike before, this time he had gone all out from the start. Thirty-six crimson streaks shot toward Lawrence’s vital points.
“Hmm!”
Realizing his ambush had failed, Lawrence raised his right hand in a knife-hand stance.
The golden light in his eyes surged through his palm, and as soon as it touched the thirty-six slashes, they extinguished like embers.
‘Even with increased speed and wind infusion, it won’t work? Then….’
As his sword strikes began to dissipate, Raon ignited the flames of Rotation atop his Heavenly Drive and simultaneously drew his Soul Requiem Sword with his left hand.
Whoooosh!
While Rotation’s flames clashed against Lawrence’s knife-hand, Soul Requiem Sword gathered an extreme surge of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
A blazing dragon soared along the blade, unleashing an overwhelming breath of fire.
[Flame Dragon Break.]
Kwaaaaaaah!
A colossal inferno surged forward as if it would incinerate the entire mountain.
But Lawrence’s knife-hand, like an impenetrable wall, completely erased the flames of Flame Dragon Break.
Only tiny embers remained, falling harmlessly to the ground.
‘That….’
Raon bit his lip as he watched the flames vanish.
‘That’s not just martial arts.’
Even though he was controlling the flames’ flow, he couldn’t replicate what Lawrence had done.
That counter wasn’t just a technique—it was a phenomenon.
‘I need to see more….’
Just as Raon was about to lift his lowered Heavenly Drive to continue the battle—
Whoosh!
Lawrence moved with an even swifter, more elusive footwork, closing in from the left.
‘No room to extend my sword.’
Raon was slightly late in reacting, leaving no space to thrust his Heavenly Drive.
Instead, he swung down with the Soul Requiem Sword, infused with frost energy.
Kwaaaaaa!
Lawrence, seemingly having decided to go all out, easily dispelled the frost and placed his hand on his chest.
“This time, it’s really going to hurt.”
With his low voice, an immense force exploded from his chest.
Boooooom!
Raon was launched like a kicked ball, crashing into the ground.
The impact was so intense that the earth beneath him caved in deeply.
“Haaah….”
Lawrence furrowed his brows as he looked at his faintly trembling hand.
‘He’s grown again.’
Most swordsmen feared having their swordsmanship broken.
Even in the Holy Sword Alliance, no one ever dared challenge him to a duel.
Yet, that brat—he always clashed head-on, as if he enjoyed having his swordsmanship shattered.
It was as if he had no sense of pride or fear as a swordsman. Physically and mentally, he was an absolute monster.
“Isn’t this a bit excessive?”
The Sword Master of Demonic Blade frowned at Lawrence.
“He’s still a young kid.”
The Sword Master of Melodic Blade also bit his lip, thinking it was too much.
“You can see for yourself. That damn brat—this much is necessary to keep him down.”
Lawrence sighed shortly and shook off his hand. Since Raon was Rektor’s grandson, he had held back just enough to avoid killing him.
This time, he wouldn’t be getting back up.
“If he gets up again, I’ll acknowledge him. But—”
“Really?”
Raon suddenly opened his eyes, as if to mock him.
“Gyaaah!”
“H-Huh?!”
The Sword Master of Demonic Blade and Sword Master of Melodic Blade, who had been worried about Raon, shrieked and stumbled back.
Their reactions were truly amusing.
Now, Raon understood why Merlin always transformed into different animals to mess with people.
“Y-You… how…?”
Lawrence’s golden eyes trembled violently, as if he had witnessed the impossible.
“This time, it hurt. No—actually, it hurt quite a lot.”
Raon rubbed his left chest and clicked his tongue.
“But it wasn’t unbearable.”
“Uaaaagh!”
Lawrence grabbed his hair and let out a frustrated scream. (T/N: LOL. Now you know that Raon’s talent is not his swordsmanship but his annoying personality. hahaha)
“I hit you with an aura strike directly to the heart! Why aren’t you even unconscious?!”
“I’ve gotten used to being hit.”
Raon chuckled faintly and slowly lifted his upper body. This time, the impact had been truly severe, so he couldn’t move immediately.
“Why are you doing this to me?! Why?!”
Lawrence raised both hands in surrender, practically begging for mercy.
“I’m not tormenting you. I just want to spar. We’re playing, that’s all.”
Raon shook his head calmly.
“I don’t want to play! Just leave me alone!”
– “I told you, he’s not a zombie—he’s a leech. He won’t let go.”
Wrath sighed, shaking his head.
“You said you’d acknowledge me, so let’s do this.”
Raon raised his index finger at Lawrence.
“W-What now?”
“Spar with me once a day.”
After clashing three times, Raon realized something. Lawrence’s counter technique wasn’t something he could break immediately.
There was no point in continuing to charge in recklessly. The best way forward was to improve his swordsmanship first, then challenge him once per day.
“O-Once?”
“Yes. Just once a day.”
Raon nodded, as if that was all he needed.
“Ugh….”
Lawrence bit his lip, clearly torn.
“I-I have a routine! People who know me understand—when my routine is broken, I have a really hard time….”
“If you don’t like it, we can keep going like this. I have plenty of stamina, so I can fight you day and night. How many people would you need to call to stop me?”
“F-Fine! I got it! I’ll do it!”
In the end, Lawrence surrendered, nodding begrudgingly.
“Contract secured.”
Raon grinned, stamping an imaginary seal into the air.
– “You call that a contract? It’s blackmail.”
‘It’s a contract since I didn’t use violence. I got beaten instead.’
– “No matter how you spin it, that grasshopper looks like he’s dying….”
Wrath clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“…Now, get out of here.”
Lawrence weakly waved his hand, his shoulders slumped as if he had aged ten years.
“Sure thing. Ah!”
Raon nodded, then suddenly spoke up again.
“Since we made the deal after today’s match, I’ll be back tonight for another round.”
He flashed a bright grin.
“No… that… urgh…!”
Lawrence’s jaw trembled as rage boiled within him. But in the end, he couldn’t even speak and simply dropped his head.
“Well then.”
Raon bowed slightly and descended the mountain with a light step.
“Ooooh….”
“Oooh!”
The Sword Master of Demonic Blade and Sword Master of Melodic Blade let out awed murmurs as if they had witnessed a legend, then hurried after Raon.
“Ugh….”
Lawrence clenched his trembling fists as he watched Raon’s back fade into the distance.
‘Is this really the best outcome? Was there no other way?’
No matter how much he thought, no answer came.
He should have run away the moment he saw that brat in town.
“Uaaaagh!”
Lawrence screamed loud enough to shake the entire mountain, cursing the moment he had agreed to that first duel.
—
Meanwhile…
“Khh….”
Martha bit her lip as she stared at the middle-aged female swordsman standing before her.
‘She’s strong. Not just naturally, but through sheer refinement.’
That woman wasn’t just powerful—she carried absolute confidence in her swordsmanship.
She was a true swordswoman, one who had established her own beliefs.
‘This is exciting.’
There were many strong swordsmen in the outside world, but few held such unwavering conviction in their techniques.
Now, she understood why this place was called the Holy Sword Alliance.
“We’re both exhausted. Let’s end this with one final strike.”
The middle-aged woman tilted her head, beckoning Martha to come at her with full force.
“I like your personality.”
Martha grinned and raised her sword.
Boom!
After locking eyes for a moment, both warriors kicked off the ground at the same time.
Wooooooong!
Martha unleashed an extreme sword strike, infusing the Light Wind Style into her Titan Aura. A thunderous roar erupted from her blade, as if it were tearing through space itself.
“Strength is good, but…”
The middle-aged woman smiled faintly without losing her composure. She extended her sword.
A small but concentrated light gleamed from her blade. It was precise, unwavering—a sword strike refined through absolute focus and discipline.
Kwaaaaang!
Anyone could see that Martha’s strike carried the greater force.
Yet, the one still standing after the clash was the middle-aged swordswoman.
“Ugh….”
Martha collapsed to her knees, biting her lip.
“Enduring strong but unfocused wind isn’t difficult.”
The woman chuckled lightly.
“Avoiding a lightning bolt that strikes precisely, now that is the real challenge.”
She lowered her sword and extended a hand toward the fallen Martha.
“What did you say your name was?”
Martha took the woman’s hand and stood up, tilting her chin up slightly.
“Jeira.”
The woman introduced herself with a soft smile.
“Wait for me. I’ll defeat you soon enough.”
Despite her fierce words, Martha wore a bright and confident grin.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Jeira waved casually before walking away.
“Are you alright?”
Burren approached after finishing his match, watching her with concern.
“Rakshasa. You hurt?”
Runaan also tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with worry.
“Stop calling me that!”
“No.”
“You little—!”
Martha smacked Runaan on the head, but Runaan gracefully stepped back using her footwork.
“Well, seeing that, I guess you’re fine.”
Burren chuckled as he looked Martha over.
“My body is fine.”
Martha clenched her teeth, lowering her head.
‘I could’ve won….’
Jeira was indeed stronger, but the gap wasn’t massive.
What decided the match wasn’t raw power—it was concentration and the depth of their convictions.
‘I should have believed in myself until the very end. In the end, I lacked strength.’
“You lost focus at the last moment.”
As Martha reflected on her loss, a familiar voice spoke beside her.
“Huh?”
She turned her head and saw Raon approaching, looking like he had rolled through a battlefield. Dust covered him like war paint, and his collar and mouth were stained with what appeared to be blood.
“What the hell happened to you?!”
Martha gaped at him, her jaw trembling.
“I had some fun.”
Despite his battered appearance, Raon grinned as if he had just enjoyed himself.
“You got beaten to a pulp and call that fun?”
Burren frowned as he examined Raon’s tattered clothing.
“You look like you took a bath in dirt….”
Runaan also tilted her head, puzzled.
“What about you guys?”
Raon ignored their concerns and gestured toward Burren and Runaan with his chin.
“I barely won. The matchup favored me.”
Burren let out a breath of relief, admitting he had scraped by.
“I lost….”
Runaan nodded heavily, her expression unreadable.
“Her opponent was a high-ranking Master. It was a close fight, so she did well.”
Burren acknowledged that Runaan had put up an incredible fight.
“You all saw? I got stomped like a dog.”
Martha furrowed her brow, signaling that she didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
“What about Dorian?”
“No idea.”
“Looked like he got taken somewhere….”
Martha and Burren shook their heads slowly.
“No need to worry about Dorian.”
Muston approached and bowed slightly.
“Sir Jarek took him. After seeing him drop his sword before even starting a match, he decided to train his mindset first.”
He explained that Jarek was a senior elder of the Holy Sword Alliance and one of Rektor’s closest confidants.
“Then we can trust him.”
Even if they weren’t familiar with the elders of the Holy Sword Alliance, Rektor’s trusted men were reliable.
‘Still, I should check on him later.’
Raon organized his thoughts before looking at Burren, Martha, and Runaan again.
“It’s better if you all keep losing here.”
“Losing? No way!”
Martha shook her head instantly.
“Why?”
“The swordsmen of the Holy Sword Alliance embody their beliefs in their swordsmanship. Instead of just thinking about winning, you should treat these duels as a way to learn their mindset. That will help you grow stronger.”
Raon shared what he had realized, his eyes serious.
“I’m prepared to lose a thousand times here if necessary.”
As he spoke, he glanced back at the mountain where Lawrence was.
‘No, even if I lose more than that, I’ll keep going.’
—
After finishing duels with the Sword Master of Demonic Blade and Sword Master of Melodic Blade, Raon returned to Rektor’s mansion.
Rektor had just finished his work and had personally prepared dinner for everyone.
As expected of a swordsman from the Holy Sword Alliance, he handled everything himself.
“Where is Dorian?”
“Sir Jarek took him. He’ll be staying with him for a while.”
Muston bowed slightly.
“That habit of his is acting up again.”
Rektor chuckled, as if he was used to it.
“Well then, how were the duels?”
He turned to Raon first, tilting his head.
“I met someone named Lawrence. And then….”
Raon recounted everything that had happened between him and Lawrence.
“Bwahaha!”
Rektor burst into laughter, slamming his hand on the table.
“So it did happen! I bet he looked absolutely miserable!”
He smacked his lips in regret, wishing he could have seen it firsthand.
“You’re too much….”
Burren exhaled in disbelief.
“That was basically noise complaints! You’re a menace!”
Martha trembled with frustration.
“I want to see the squirrels….”
Runaan, uninterested in the rest, muttered about wanting to see the squirrel family again.
“No.”
Rektor calmly shook his head.
“Keep going. Even if he tells you not to, keep challenging him.”
He nodded approvingly and patted Raon’s shoulder.
“He’s a lonely guy, so keep playing with him.”
Rektor looked at Raon warmly, as if he found him admirable.
– “You sure about that?”
Wrath shook his head.
– “He looked like he was about to go bald from stress….”
—
A week had passed since Raon arrived at the Holy Sword Alliance.
Every day, he sparred with different swordsmen from dawn to dusk, and at night, he climbed up the mountain to challenge Lawrence to a duel.
Naturally, he had never won. Every single night, he descended the mountain with bruises on his head and chest.
However, he had learned something. Lawrence was obsessive about maintaining his daily routine—and he slept during the day.
For someone who didn’t even seem that old, it was baffling how he had reached transcendence with such a lifestyle.
‘Even more fascinating is his martial art.’
Lawrence’s martial techniques operated on a completely different principle from any swordsmanship Raon had encountered before.
Most sword techniques were developed to kill an enemy.
But Lawrence’s seemed designed to break an opponent’s martial arts instead.
“Haaah….”
As Raon climbed toward the cave, he let out a slow breath.
‘Tonight, I’ll break through no matter what.’
Today, he had sparred against ten different swordsmen, pushing his swordsmanship to new heights. He felt a bit more confident than before.
‘Looks like I came a little early.’
It was slightly earlier than usual, but with the moon already rising, Lawrence shouldn’t be asleep.
“Sir Lawrence!”
Standing in the usual clearing where they fought, Raon called out to him.
Thud!
A loud, irritated stomp echoed from within the cave, and Lawrence sluggishly emerged.
The dark circles under his eyes were so pronounced that they looked like they had been drawn with charcoal.
“For the love of—! Can’t you just show up at the same time every day?! Why do you keep changing the schedule?!”
“There’s no set time for our duels. I just come as soon as I finish training.”
Raon shrugged at Lawrence.
“You little….”
Grinding his teeth, Lawrence stepped out of the cave—only to suddenly freeze.
He looked up at the full moon rising into the night sky. His lips tightened.
“Wait… what’s today’s date? Damn it!”
Lawrence’s legs gave out, and he collapsed on the spot.
An entirely different aura and presence began to seep from him—something unlike anything Raon had ever felt from him before.
“Sir Lawrence?”
“Stay back!”
Lawrence waved his hand frantically in front of the cave entrance.
“Because of you, my routine got messed up, and I lost track of time! There’s no duel today! Come back tomorrow!”
Shouting desperately, he used his trembling arms to crawl deeper into the cave.
“Wait, that’s….”
Raon clenched his jaw. Kicking off the ground, he leaped forward, stopping just outside the cave entrance.
“I said stay back!”
“You….”
Ignoring Lawrence’s frantic cries, Raon stepped inside.
He froze as he saw the white blood trickling from Lawrence’s lips.
His hand instinctively gripped the hilt of his Heavenly Drive.
“What is your connection to the White Blood Cult Leader?”
(T/N: I really love this arc. I think this is the next best after the War arc. I bet each one of them will have a “Master” like Dorian has now.)
