Chapter 800
Release schedule is every day except weekends around 5PM MST.
You can also join our Discord here.
Boom!
Raon stepped forward, his movements both heavy and powerful, his upper body leaning in.
He infused his aura with the speed of the wind, layered his flames with transformation and illusion, and didn’t just wield his sword—he became the sword itself, executing its mysteries with every fiber of his being.
Heavy sword, strong sword, swift sword, wind sword, illusion sword, transformation sword—each technique layered seamlessly, and at the tip of his blade, he ignited the profound essence of the breaking sword. His swordsmanship evolved, creating a brand-new flow.
Kwoooong!
Raon’s swordsmanship cut against the tide, pushing back the white waves of Inverse Sea of Flames with razor-sharp currents.
“…What the hell….”
Lawrence’s half-closed eyes snapped open.
‘Is this even possible?’
He had tried to suppress Raon’s swordsmanship using Inverse Sea of Flames, but it wasn’t working. That sword had already reached the boundary of transcendence.
‘I have no choice!’
At the same level, he could no longer block Raon. He cast aside his pride and unleashed Inverse Sea of Flames beyond its limit.
Fwoooosh!
White waves, infused with the energy of Inverse Sea of Flames, surged from Lawrence’s fingertips, swallowing Raon’s sword technique whole.
Kuuuuung!
Raon’s newly evolved swordsmanship was ultimately halted before the wall of Inverse Sea of Flames and dissipated entirely.
“Hah….”
Lawrence exhaled deeply, hunched over. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up, his gaze trembling.
“You just…”
“Still lacking, huh.”
Raon wasn’t looking at Lawrence—his eyes were fixed on Heavenly Drive, a slight frown on his face.
‘It seems I need more time to get used to it.’
The swordsmen of the Holy Sword Alliance, whether strong or weak, infused their very lives with their swords.
Raon had tried to embody that concept—to engrave the sword into his body and soul—but it seemed he was still falling short.
“…What the hell are you?”
Lawrence bit his lip as he stared at Raon.
“That wasn’t aura just now—it was pure swordsmanship! You almost broke Inverse Sea of Flames with nothing but swordsmanship!”
His jaw quivered in disbelief.
“I attempted to integrate my sword into my existence, much like the swordsmen of the Holy Sword Alliance. It seems I failed due to my inexperience.”
Raon let out a disappointed sigh.
“Don’t give me that crap! I’ve lived in the Holy Sword Alliance for decades, and I’ve never heard of, let alone seen, someone like you!”
Lawrence shook his head, refusing to accept it.
“I simply wielded my sword in accordance with what I felt.”
Raon smiled slightly, then turned to Lawrence.
“By the way, what exactly is this Inverse Sea of Flames you keep mentioning? Is it your martial art?”
“Yes. It’s an incomplete martial art that I’ve been cultivating.”
Lawrence leaned against a tree, nodding.
“Incomplete?”
“You remember how I said I read every book my mother left me, as well as those in the study?”
“I do.”
“That house originally belonged to the Apostle who kept me alive. Many of the books in there were martial arts manuals.”
He let out a low sigh, gazing up at the sky.
“One of them was a manual on Inverse Sea of Flames—a swordsmanship technique focused not on attacking but on dismantling an opponent’s martial arts. However, it was never mastered, not even by its creator. It was purely theoretical.”
“The creator couldn’t even master it?”
“It required special eyes.”
Lawrence pointed at his golden irises.
“My eyes can read the flow of an opponent’s aura and movements as they are. That’s how I was able to learn Inverse Sea of Flames, even though it remains incomplete.”
He nodded, stating that without his natural ability, he would never have been able to use Inverse Sea of Flames in the first place.
“Of course, Inverse Sea of Flames isn’t all-powerful. Monsters like your grandfathers would simply overpower it with brute force.”
Lawrence clicked his tongue, emphasizing that it wasn’t an unbeatable technique.
“Hm….”
Raon listened to Lawrence’s words and smacked his lips thoughtfully.
‘So that’s why I couldn’t replicate it, even while using Ring of Fire.’
He had understood Inverse Sea of Flames’s mechanics, but he had never thought he could copy it.
Now he knew why—without innate vision like Lawrence’s, replicating Inverse Sea of Flames was impossible.
– “To be born with such eyes and use them for mere dismantling… How utterly pathetic!”
Wrath scoffed, shaking his head.
– “If it were me, I’d only use them to destroy everything in my path!”
‘I figured as much… Wait.’
Raon swallowed dryly as he glanced at Wrath.
– “What are you looking at?”
Wrath narrowed his blue eyes, clearly displeased.
‘If I use Eye of Wrath….’
Perhaps he could mimic Lawrence’s vision.
“Sir Lawrence, can you show me Inverse Sea of Flames once more?”
Raon extended his hand after solidifying his thoughts.
“It’s not hard to demonstrate, but why?”
“There’s something I want to try.”
Without waiting for an answer, Raon raised Heavenly Drive and executed Crimson Slash.
Fwoooosh!
Lawrence calmly countered, lifting his hand in a slicing motion, activating Inverse Sea of Flames.
The moment his golden eyes glowed, the flames and trajectory of Crimson Slash melted away instantly.
‘I see it now.’
Raon lowered his sword and extended his left hand.
‘If I use Eye of Wrath to read an opponent’s movements and Ring of Fire to analyze the flow of their aura…’
It’s possible.
Though Inverse Sea of Flames itself was a complex martial art, he had watched it unfold for an entire month. He was confident he could replicate it.
Activating both Eye of Wrath and Ring of Fire, Raon carefully observed Lawrence’s movements and the flow of his aura, then mimicked his Inverse Sea of Flames exactly.
Fwoooosh!
As Raon’s Inverse Sea of Flames clashed with Lawrence’s Inverse Sea of Flames, the two opposing forces neutralized each other like two shields colliding.
“…Huh?”
Lawrence’s lips trembled as he watched the energy in his hand dissipate.
“What the hell…?”
“This is how it works, huh? I get it now.”
Raon glanced at his left hand, which was now devoid of any aura, and smiled.
“D-Did you just copy Inverse Sea of Flames? You don’t even have eyes like mine—how did you do it?!”
Lawrence stared at Raon, his golden eyes filled with pure shock.
“I just have good eyes.”
Raon shrugged. He couldn’t reveal Eye of Wrath, so he played it off as luck.
“Hah, I thought nothing about you could surprise me anymore….”
Lawrence placed a hand over his chest, saying his heart was still racing.
“It’s also thanks to you for continuously sparring with me.”
Raon bowed his head slightly, expressing his gratitude.
“This feels awful. I think I finally understand the expressions of the swordsmen I’ve defeated.”
Lawrence frowned, recalling the faces of those he had beaten in the past.
“No need to thank me.”
Raon simply shrugged.
“Thank? My ass! This is just infuriating!”
Lawrence stomped his feet in frustration.
‘But this Inverse Sea of Flames….’
Raon narrowed his eyes as he once again executed the technique.
‘It’s similar to Flawless Sea of Flames.’
Ogram’s Flawless Sea of Flames ignored an opponent’s aura and struck through it, while Inverse Sea of Flames erased the flow of an opponent’s martial arts.
Not only were their names similar, but their applications were alike as well.
‘Ignoring aura and erasing sword technique flow… Wait. If I combine these two….’
A terrifying sword technique that could crush both an opponent’s aura and their martial arts at once might be born.
‘Now that sounds fun.’
– “Look at you. You really are a twisted bastard.”
Wrath clicked his tongue in exasperation.
– “But you’re far from being able to achieve that with your current skill.”
He shook his head, saying it would take considerable effort.
‘It wouldn’t be fun if it worked instantly.’
Raon’s path wouldn’t end at Grandmaster. Training while keeping his sights set on an even greater peak was more than worth it.
“Alright, let’s begin again.”
Raon dusted off his hands and gripped Heavenly Drive once more.
“…Huh?”
Lawrence, who had been sulking moments ago, widened his eyes.
“Again? You already figured out Inverse Sea of Flames, so shouldn’t you be done now?”
He tilted his head, confused as to why Raon was still here.
“What are you saying?”
Raon let out a short laugh and lowered his sword.
“Inverse Sea of Flames was just a coincidence. I came here to improve my swordsmanship. I’ll keep coming until I can break Inverse Sea of Flames using my sword alone.”
He had never been particularly interested in Inverse Sea of Flames itself. All he wanted was to defeat Lawrence using pure swordsmanship.
“Besides, sparring with you is fun.”
“Hmm!”
Lawrence licked his lips, clearly pleased.
“…Wait, do you like this? Are you happy I’m staying?”
Raon smirked mischievously and gestured toward Lawrence with his chin.
“W-What nonsense! I’m just pissed off that you won’t leave! That’s all!”
Lawrence waved his hands, telling him to go away.
“Don’t come crying when I go back to Zieghart.”
“Shut up already!”
Blushing red, Lawrence launched the first attack for the first time.
Wrath, watching the scene unfold, shook his head.
– “Everyone who meets this guy ends up ruined….”
—
After finishing his sparring with Lawrence, Raon returned to Rektor’s mansion.
Just as he reached for the door handle, he sensed a familiar presence inside.
‘Dorian?’
Two weeks ago, when he and Rektor had gone to check on Dorian, they had found him in deep meditation and left him undisturbed. It seemed he had finally returned to the mansion today.
– “It is him! The wallet has returned!”
Wrath grinned, looking genuinely pleased.
‘It’s been a while.’
Raon chuckled lightly and stepped inside.
“Raon. Dorian’s back.”
Runaan, who had been waiting near the entrance, pointed toward the reception room. Following her finger, he saw Dorian sitting upright with a straightened back.
“Dori—huh?”
Was he always this good-looking?
With all the excess fat gone, the once-ordinary Dorian now looked like a charming young noble.
Even after knowing him for nearly ten years, Raon had never imagined that Dorian had been hiding such a face.
“I was surprised too. I had no idea that’s what he actually looked like.”
Burren chuckled in disbelief.
“Doesn’t matter. He’s still Dorian.”
Martha dismissed the change, shaking her head.
“Sir Raon. You’ve returned.”
Dorian bowed deeply, his tone formal and composed.
Not only had his appearance changed, but his demeanor had as well. The casual air he once carried was gone.
“Uh… yeah.”
Raon nodded, still trying to process the change.
“What exactly did you learn to lose that much weight?”
Martha asked, her curiosity piqued.
“I’ve learned and mastered many things. Among them….”
Dorian trailed off and pulled a bottle of water from his belly pouch.
“Sir Raon, you must be thirsty right now.”
Without hesitation, he handed the bottle to Raon.
“…How did you know?”
Raon accepted the water, baffled. His fight with Lawrence had gone on for a long time, leaving him parched—but Dorian had somehow sensed that immediately.
“Lady Runaan, you’ve been craving ice cream, haven’t you?”
Dorian turned to Runaan and pulled out a container of rainbow ice cream.
“Oh.”
Runaan accepted it with wide eyes, her usual blank expression briefly flickering with excitement.
– “Me too! Me too! Me too!”
Wrath flailed his tongue, reaching out toward Dorian.
“Lady Martha, since you always wish for more hours in the day, I’ve prepared an herbal energy booster for you.”
Dorian handed her a bottle of tonic.
“…What the hell?”
Martha’s eyes widened as she stared at Dorian—but she still accepted the bottle without complaint, suggesting she genuinely needed it.
“And lastly, Lord Burren, this should be useful for you.”
Dorian pulled out a small stuffed doll and handed it to Burren.
“…Why would I need this?”
“Haven’t you been struggling to sleep without your comfort doll? It’s practically written on your forehead….”
“H-Hey! Don’t say nonsense!”
Burren’s face turned bright red as he threw the doll away. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes and how aggressively he reacted, it was starting to seem like Dorian might actually be right.
“I was sure….”
Dorian picked up the doll again, furrowing his brows in disappointment.
“Dorian. What exactly did you learn?”
Raon tilted his head as he finished drinking the water.
‘It doesn’t seem like he’s grown at all in terms of martial arts.’
His posture had improved slightly, but there were no significant changes in his aura. After a whole month of training, Raon had no idea what Dorian had been learning.
“I’ve learned how to understand what others need! From now on, call me the Transcendent of Logistics!” (T/N: ROFL. WTF)
Dorian confidently nodded, declaring that he had mastered the art of providing essential supplies anytime, anywhere.
“That just means….”
“You became an even bigger….”
“A pushover.”
Raon, Martha, and Burren finished his sentence in sequence.
“Nom.”
Runaan, uninterested in the conversation, just ate her ice cream.
“I’m not a pushover! I simply want to supply you all with whatever you need at any time!”
Dorian pounded his chest, trying to convince them.
“When I went to check on you, you were meditating. Wasn’t that sword training?”
“My master was training me to sense what people needed.”
He grinned as if that explained everything.
“Oh, for….”
Raon pressed his palm against his forehead.
‘I shouldn’t have left him there.’
He had trusted the swordsman who took Dorian under his wing, considering he was a Grandmaster at the peak of his craft. But he hadn’t expected this outcome.
“You’re training with me starting tomorrow.”
Raon sighed and shook his head.
“Huh? But I just got back today….”
“No excuses. Be at the training grounds by dawn.”
He waved his hand dismissively, allowing no room for argument.
“…That kid….”
– “Hmmm….”
However, both Rektor and Wrath seemed intrigued as they observed Dorian closely.
—
The next morning, before dawn, Raon dragged Dorian out to the mansion’s training ground.
“W-Why are you doing this…?”
Dorian, having fully returned to his usual nervous self overnight, trembled in both his arms and legs.
“You wasted an entire month.”
Raon frowned at Dorian’s terrified expression.
‘What a waste of time.’
Burren, Martha, and Runaan had spent this time constantly training and pushing past the limits of High Master.
But despite spending a month alongside a Grandmaster, Dorian had barely changed at all.
He had lost some weight, slightly increased his aura capacity, and… developed a weird knack for sensing what people wanted.
That last part, especially, was utterly useless.
“We don’t have much time before we leave. Until then, I’m sticking with you. You need to show at least some improvement before we return.”
“Ugh….”
Dorian sighed in resignation and reluctantly raised his sword.
“Alright.”
Raon gripped Heavenly Drive and kicked off the ground, moving with the Swiftness of the Light Wind Style.
His sword flashed forward, too fast for Dorian to react, aiming directly for his throat.
Fwaaang!
At the last second, Raon prepared to halt his strike—but before he could, Dorian instinctively leaned back and parried the attack with his sword.
Claaaang!
It wasn’t a particularly powerful counter, but he had struck just the right angle, deflecting Heavenly Drive forcefully.
“Uwaah!”
Dorian yelped in shock, blinking rapidly as if he had no idea what he had just done.
‘Was that just luck?’
It seemed like he had randomly swung his sword and just happened to block the attack.
‘Let’s test this properly.’
Raon narrowed his eyes and launched another strike, this time even faster, aiming for Dorian’s solar plexus.
Claaang!
Once again, Dorian instinctively positioned his blade perfectly, neutralizing the attack.
“…What are you?”
Raon’s jaw dropped as he stared at Dorian, who stood frozen in a defensive stance.
“W-What did I do?”
Dorian blinked in confusion.
“How did you block that?”
“Because if I didn’t, I’d die!”
“No, I mean, how did you block it?!”
“The sword was coming at me, so I stopped it!”
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
The two of them stared at each other, tilting their heads in mutual confusion.
– “What kind of idiotic conversation is this….”
Wrath sighed in sheer exasperation.
