Thunderous Clash in the Depths
! Chaaang! Chachaachaang!__
In the pitch-dark cave, where even a hand’s length ahead was impossible to discern, the sharp clash of blades rang out in rapid succession, sending sparks flying in every direction.
The explosive force of their colliding powers sent the two men who had been mixing swords flying backward, unable to withstand the recoil.
In the blink of an eye that no one else could even register, Jubern and Baron Blanser exchanged dozens of strikes. They both acknowledged the opponent’s capability and offered a similar assessment.
‘I thought he was strong enough to give it a shot… but he’s even stronger than I expected. My strength is superior, yet his speed is higher. Overall, it’s a tie.’
‘He’s on par with me… Where did someone like this even come from?’
“Hup!”
Kwaaaaah!
A razor-sharp gust of wind whipped around from the side of Baron Blanser and slammed into Jubern’s blade. Jubern swiftly neutralized it with his own Ineung.
The knights and Yebaek watching from a distance could not hide their shock; they simply stared with mouths agape.
‘He stands equal to the captain? We’re completely in the dark about this kind of person…’
‘He can match Baron Blanser… I vaguely knew he was strong, but this? He’s truly remarkable.’
Jubern was relatively exhausted from holding off the knight squad’s full assault single-handedly in such an unfavorable environment.
Yet the battle between the two showed no sign of tilting toward either side, maintaining an even balance throughout.
There were two reasons for this. First, Jubern had fought powerful warriors like Crow’s Duck, Lan, and Yu-shin many times on the continent, so a fight of this level did not weigh heavily on him.
The second reason was that the Lord he served was Lan himself.
Lan, known as the Wind Slayer, was one of the few on the continent who could wield the Ineung of the air element. In fact, when it came to air Ineung, no one else on the continent came close to matching him.
Having sparred with Lan dozens of times in real battles, Jubern had no choice but to become exceptionally skilled at countering air Ineung.
On the other hand, Baron Blanser, of high standing, had never fought anyone of similar strength with their lives on the line. He felt considerable pressure in facing Jubern, his equal.
“…Now I finally understand. It was your killing intent that day.”
Baron Blanser sheathed his sword and slowly opened his mouth, wanting a moment to catch his breath.
“You must have a reason for being here. What do you desire? Money? Power? A woman? No, if you join us, I’ll place everything you wish for in your hands.”
Enchanted by Jubern’s strength, he offered the proposal politely in deferential speech.
But Jubern, bound by loyalty to only Lan, had no intention of accepting.
“If you think I would be swayed by something so trivial, then I am disappointed. I follow my convictions, my will, and the orders of that person alone.”
‘A wolf that cannot be tamed at all. He doesn’t seem like someone who should be beneath anyone’s command—who exactly is pulling his strings?’
“A man of your caliber should be content to serve beneath someone. I cannot say whose orders you follow, but how about coming with us to the kingdom of the sea? The King will make great use of you.”
Jubern burst into laughter at Baron Blanser’s absurd offer after offer.
“Khhaha! A real man should devote his life to one who truly values his worth. Even if that person abandons me, I will never leave his side.”
“You mean to kill us all?”
‘What a shame. Truly a pity. If such a powerful being joined our side, this would have been much easier.’
Baron Blanser had made up his mind to dispose of Jubern due to his straightforward loyalty. He drew his sword and poured even more Ineung into it.
Goooooooh!
Soon, eight spiraling vortices of wind formed directly in front of Baron Blanser.
While ordinary cyclones rose from the ground to the sky, Blanser’s seemed to lie sideways, appearing far more menacing in both reach and power than any natural whirlwind.
The eight columns of wind began to rotate with terrifying speed, curling toward Jubern.
“I cannot disappoint him. I must find out what this mole hole was plotting.”
In response, Jubern drove his sword deep into the cracked earth and shouted his shout.
“True Aqua Wave.”
Then, from behind him, came a metallic clatter and a massive surge that flooded the entire cave.
A tidal wave of unimaginable scale covered the front of Baron Blanser.
““Kwaaaaaah!!””
The collision of Ineung brimming with power caused the cave walls and ceiling to explode in violent booms.
The shockwave did not stop there; it blasted through the ceiling and shot upward hundreds of yards into the air.
Jubern and Baron Blanser both leaped outward through the collapsed ceiling using their own Ineung as a foothold.
Even outside the narrow cave, they continued their fierce exchange.
The heavy, blunt force of Jubern’s polearm was so overwhelming that each time Baron Blanser’s sword struck it, he felt his own body vibrate with shock.
Thinking he must avoid direct collision at all costs, he swallowed blood and relentlessly hunted Jubern’s gaps with agile swordsmanship.
While they exchanged blows mindlessly, the tidal wave that had risen hundreds of yards and the swirling currents of air and water began to subside back to the ground.
Dense steam blocked their vision.
As master swordsmen of baron rank, their sharp eyesight allowed them to locate each other’s figures. Without a word, they both slashed at their opponent.
* * *
“Is it… over?”
As the final exchange wound down, Yebaek, who had been observing the situation inside the cave, waited for the outside to grow quiet. He slipped past several knights and slipped out through the collapsed ceiling.
What he saw from there was a scorched wasteland and, in the center, Jubern and Baron Blanser who were mortally wounded and rendered combat-ineffective.
“Lord!!”
“That rat! We’ll catch… Captain? Captain—!!”
Yebaek and the knights who followed him outside stamped the ground and rushed toward the horrifying scene, letting out startled cries.
“Quickly take him down… find something that can serve as evidence, c-cough!”
“We already secured all the material that could serve as evidence inside. Rest assured. Rather than that, we must retreat now… Lord? Lord! You cannot lose consciousness now!”
While Jubern had held back the knight squad single-handedly, buying time, Yebaek—who had recovered somewhat—hurried to carry Jubern and escape.
“I’ll… catch him! U, ugh! You must never let them get away…!”
Jubern’s snow-white uniform grew steadily red where it had been deeply slashed on the side.
He was barely holding himself up with his sword when his consciousness faded and he dropped the blade, collapsing once more.
“Effective immediately, divide the forces into five groups! Group 1 protects the captain, Group 2 secures the perimeter, Group 3 removes all traces, Group 4 disposes of the injured, and Group 5 pursues the enemy. Move quickly!”
““Yes!””
A man who appeared to be a mid-level commander quickly gave orders to the remaining troops in place of Baron Blanser.
“Hah…!”
Yebaek, having to protect Jubern while retreating under serious injury, had slowed down. It was only natural that he would be caught in pursuit.
“They’re here!”
‘They caught up already. Damn it!’
“Get out of the way!!”
Chaaeng!
“Even I am not in good shape!”
“Focus on the one slumped nearby!”
“How dare you!”
‘It’s too dangerous like this…’
In a life-or-death crisis.
Swaaaah!
“Cough, sudden rain!”
‘The heavens have helped us. Now!’
“That bastard is fleeing! Don’t let him escape, capture him!!”
Thanks to the rain that had just begun to fall, Yebaek barely shook off the knights’ pursuit and successfully escaped.
* * *
At the same time, far from this place on the continent.
He hesitated.
While handling his duties with Wolhyang, Lan suddenly stiffened as he noticed something suspicious.
When his gaze met Wolhyang’s in the air, she immediately understood his intentions and answered with a light bow.
“Yes, I sensed it too, my lord.”
“…A fairly large surge of energy has occurred to the east. Could it be that something has happened to Jubern?”
* * *
Even though it was not the rainy season, heavy rain poured down near Dongye and the kingdom of the sea.
At the dead of night, the source of the unstable air was a fierce battle that had erupted somewhere beyond the Floating Lake.
The thick raindrops that had begun falling from midnight only subsided in intensity by noon.
Before the fierce downpour could even stop, scorching hot weather arrived as if by deception.
“Hehe! Just a moment ago it was pouring buckets, and now it’s so hot I’ll die! Business is ruined today! All of these things are going to spoil! It’s a disaster worthy of ghosts weeping!”
Under the blazing sun that seemed to extend summer itself, some merchants made sad faces and gave up their business.
On the other hand, after regaining his senses and receiving simple treatment, Baron Blanser immediately launched a massive search for the intruder from the previous night.
Given that both had sustained similar levels of injury, they probably had not gone far.
If they were not hiding nearby, they would likely be hiding somewhere and treating their wounds.
The most suitable city for that was naturally Dongye, so the search was concentrated there.
“No one is to be allowed inside.”
Baron Blanser, rummaging through every corner of Dongye, was about to enter a certain office with strict guards when the vice captains waiting at the entrance blocked his way.
‘As expected, something is in here.’
But Baron Blanser paid no attention and barged in with complete disregard for manners.
Kwaang!
After kicking the door open, he entered and found people there that he had never expected to see.
“What? This isn’t Baron Blanser? This guy is so insolent, trampling all over without knowing how terrifying His Highness is! Didn’t you hear that no one is allowed to enter?”
“….”
Baron Blanser gave no response even to the Lord of Dongye’s scolding and quickly scanned the room.
“What? Don’t you have any sense of hierarchy?!”
“Oh, my Lord! Please calm down!”
The Lord of Dongye, infuriated by the Baron’s rudeness, lost half his reason and raged wildly, while the adjutant broke into a sweat trying to calm him.
‘These fools…’
Ignoring them, Baron Blanser tried to resume the search when a long, tense shout from outside sent a chill down his spine.
““We greet the Great Pillar of the Continent!!””
““……””
Upon hearing that single cry from outside, the office fell into a sudden, absolute silence as if time itself had stopped.
Baron Blanser’s body stiffened, and the Lord of Dongye and the adjutant immediately assumed rigid postures, ready to receive the Seven Pillars.
Tap…
Tap…
“The atmosphere inside is a bit noisy.”
Jubern finally steadied his trembling body and turned his gaze backward to look at the newcomer.
There stood Arirang Peltix, the 1st Seat of the Seven Pillars and the pinnacle of the continent.