Chapter 154: Welcome, Double Dragon (5)
Chapter 154: Welcome, Double Dragon (5)
Arrogant.
Insolent.
Rude.
But….
“It suits him.”
The corners of Marquis Raines’s mouth curled upward.
Now he was certain. This wasn't a duel between two 7-Star knights who had reached the same level.
Marquis Raines was the one challenging a powerhouse who stood a tier above him.
I won’t need to go looking for the Empire’s Sword Saint after all.
The opponent he had so desperately yearned for was right in front of his eyes.
Why hesitate?
His heart hammered wildly against his ribs.
Pouring all the overwhelming emotion swelling in his chest into his voice, he charged forward.
“Here I come! Patrick Schneideeeer!”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
As Marquis Raines lunged, the two superhumans collided once more.
Boom! Crash! Roaaar!
A relentless exchange of Aura Blades followed.
The flow of the battle was distinctly different from before.
Marquis Raines took the initiative, launching a fierce offensive, while Patrick focused on parrying.
The Marquis’s sword was sharp and blindingly fast.
His shield acted as a solid rampart, yet occasionally transformed into a lethal mace.
From the moment it was wreathed in an Aura Blade, his kite shield blurred the line between weapon and armor.
Thrusting, bashing, swinging, slashing….
It was a savage, destructive assault capable of turning a giant monster into a pile of rags in seconds.
Patrick met it all with the twin swords in his hands, refusing to yield even a single step.
As a result….
Boom! Bang! Crash!
The reinforced floor of the training ground shattered.
The shockwaves radiating from the center were powerful enough to rupture eardrums.
The fragments of exploding Aura carried enough destructive force to kill a man instantly.
It was simply astounding that a clash between just two humans could cause such devastation.
“Ge—get back!”
“Move away! Further back!”
The knights of House Raines, who had been standing at the edge of the training ground, scrambled to create more distance.
If they were caught in that whirlwind by mistake, even a 5-Star knight wouldn't have enough bones left to bury.
Hmm… he’s a bit better than that greenhorn Garcia.
Even amidst the violent exchange, Patrick had the composure to evaluate Marquis Raines.
Even within the 7-Star realm, there was a world of difference between someone like Garcia, who had only recently ascended, and Marquis Raines, who had spent a long time honing his power at that level.
That much was obvious.
Excluding the Sword Saint, this man might be the strongest human Patrick had encountered since his reincarnation. However….
This is still nowhere near enough.
He was fast and strong.
The destructive power of his Aura Blade was excellent.
But that was all.
In the end, this man was the same as the others.
He didn't understand the subtlety of martial arts.
I’ll show you a real move. How much you can perceive depends on your own capability.
In the next instant, Patrick’s sword moved with subtle precision.
He blocked the Marquis’s longsword, which was aimed straight for his heart, with the blade in his right hand.
Kaaaa-boom!
Up to this point, it was the same as before.
As the Aura erupted brilliantly and the attack was neutralized, Marquis Raines tried to retract his sword and reset his stance. However….
“Hm?”
His sword wouldn't come back.
To be precise, his blade remained stuck to Patrick’s sword, refusing to separate.
Faced with a phenomenon he had never experienced in his life, Marquis Raines was momentarily flustered.
“Urgh….”
“Fascinating, isn't it?”
“What kind of technique is this?”
Instead of answering the Marquis’s question, Patrick gave a deep smirk.
“Want to see something even more fascinating?”
Patrick pressed down on the opponent’s slanted blade, channeling the subtlety of 'Weight' into the tip of his sword. Then….
Thump.
“Ugh…!”
Marquis Raines was horrified.
His sword had become heavy.
No, it was getting heavier by the second.
The sword he had held his entire life, wielding it as if it were an extension of his own body, now felt like an unbearable burden.
It felt as if a massive boulder was pressing down on top of his blade.
“…Is this magic?”
“Does it feel like magic to you?”
“…….”
“Think carefully. If you think this is magic, then there’s no hope for you.”
Marquis Raines grit his teeth at Patrick’s words.
Yes. Though it was an incomprehensible phenomenon, he could feel it instinctively.
This wasn't magic.
This was martial arts.
It was simply a level of high-order martial arts that he couldn't comprehend, which was why his mind couldn't grasp the logic behind it.
A principle of martial arts that even he, a 7-Star knight, couldn't understand….
A hollow laugh threatened to escape him. However….
“Haaaaaaah!”
If he couldn't understand the principle, there was only one alternative.
Technique is meant to be shattered by overwhelming power.
His Aura flared to its absolute maximum, granting him strength that transcended the limits of the flesh.
“Wooooooh!”
Bang!
With that, his longsword, which had been suppressed by Patrick’s blade, snapped upward.
Marquis Raines immediately followed up with a desperate thrust, aiming once more for Patrick’s heart.
It was a strike delivered with every ounce of his strength.
With his arm raised and his torso exposed, his opponent shouldn't be able to respond.
Just as he was about to taste the certainty of success—
Whoosh!
His body was suddenly hoisted into the air.
When did it happen?
The sword in Patrick’s other hand had moved as if gently lifting the Marquis’s blade from beneath.
As a result, Marquis Raines, whose own momentum was turned against him, was tossed bodily into the sky.
How can this be….
Marquis Raines was in shock.
Was something like this… was this even possible?
Four Ounces Moves a Thousand Pounds, and Grafting Flowers to Trees.
What Patrick had used were common techniques from the Central Plains.
In the Martial World, though the level of mastery varied, these were subtleties that even a First-Class martial artist could clumsily mimic.
Using those two principles, Patrick had completely neutralized the Marquis’s lethal strike.
Then, looking up at the defenseless Marquis floating in the air, Patrick issued a low-voiced warning.
“Here comes the second one.”
Once again, Patrick’s body transformed into a streak of light.
“Kh….”
Kaaaa-boom!
The second Flash Dragon Strike.
This time, it was an upward strike, soaring from the ground.
Marquis Raines concentrated all his Aura into his shield to block the impact.
However, unable to offset the momentum in mid-air, he was sent flying back over fifty meters before he finally managed to land.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he glared forward and grit his teeth.
“Not yet. I can still….”
“Fighting spirit should be shown through actions, not words.”
“……!”
The breath hitched in his throat.
There was no one in front of him.
The moment he realized Patrick’s voice had come from behind—
“Kh!”
Marquis Raines frantically twisted his body, unleashing a storm of consecutive attacks toward his rear.
Boom! Crash! Bang!
Attacks with enough destructive power to pulverize giant boulders rained down on Patrick. However….
“Stay calm. You’re being too messy.”
Patrick deflected every single strike without retreating a single step from his spot.
A spasmodic, haphazard assault could never pierce through Patrick’s twin swords to reach his body.
“Hmph!”
Realizing his attack had failed, Marquis Raines widened the distance once more.
As they faced off again, Patrick….
Crack. Crack.
He cracked his neck from side to side and rolled his shoulders loosely.
“That’s three. We’re done now.”
The warning he had given when he took the Marquis’s back earlier was the final act of the three considerations Patrick had promised.
In other words, from now on, he would be attacking to actually land a hit.
Marquis Raines bit his lip hard and said, “Come.”
“Alright. Then….”
Patrick lowered his knees slightly and said, “Here I go.”
The moment the word 'go' left his lips, Patrick’s body turned into a flash of light once more.
Flash Dragon Strike.
I’ll block it.
It was much faster and stronger than before.
But it was a technique he had already seen twice.
Marquis Raines concentrated his Aura into his shield, bracing for the impact.
This time, he wouldn't be pushed back; he would hold his ground.
And after enduring the hit, he would open his shield and launch an immediate counterattack. Even that monster wouldn't be able to respond to that.
Marquis Raines tensed his entire body, preparing for the destructive force that was about to slam into his shield from the front. However….
Whoosh!
There was nothing.
The destructive flash that should have exploded against his shield simply passed through him.
There was no impact whatsoever.
And in that moment….
“Gasp!”
“That’s impossible!”
The watching knights cried out in horror.
From their distance, they could see it.
As the flash vanished, seven Patrick Schneiders appeared simultaneously, surrounding Marquis Raines.
Flash Dragon Strike: Modified Form
Big Dipper Sevenfold Strike
Pop! Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang! Boom!
The seven Patricks, occupying the positions of the Big Dipper around Marquis Raines, unleashed their flashes in sequence.
Having prepared everything for a frontal assault, Marquis Raines couldn't dodge a single blow and had to tank every hit with his body.
“Cough….”
As he was hoisted into the air by the final Flash Dragon Strike, a faint thought crossed the Marquis’s mind.
I can’t win….
The moment he felt the impact of hitting the ground, he lost consciousness.
* * *
The match was over.
The Double Dragon, Patrick Schneider, had defeated the guardian deity of Decatur, Marquis Raines.
The knights of House Raines, witnessing a scene no one could deny, could only stare in stunned silence.
The one who broke that silence first was….
“All units, prepare for battle!”
It was the voice of the Knight Captain, thick with rage.
At that command, the dazed knights of House Raines drew their swords in unison.
“Dammit….”
“I knew it would come to this.”
“Shall we cut them all down, Young Master?”
Almost as soon as the Marquis’s knights drew their steel, Patrick’s companions returned to his side to stand guard.
Patrick, looking utterly bored, said, “Hold on a second.”
He then walked toward the Knight Captain and asked, “Hey, old man, what do you think you’re doing?”
“You, of all people….”
The Knight Captain grit his teeth, glaring at Patrick as he forced the words out.
“Do you honestly think you can leave here alive?”
“Yeah. That’s exactly what I think.”
“Everyone—”
“Or!”
Patrick sharply cut him off.
He scanned the surroundings with a chilling gaze.
“Shall we start piling up corpses here?”
In that moment, everyone who met Patrick’s eyes flinched.
Those words weren't a bluff or a joke.
Patrick Schneider, who had just overwhelmingly defeated the 7-Star Marquis Raines, didn't have a single scratch on him.
Even if they threw the entire knight order at him, would they even stand a chance?
The Knight Captain, who was closest to Patrick, bit his lower lip hard.
“Do you think we will back down?”
“So you’re insisting on a reckless fight?”
“The odds of winning don't matter.”
He raised his sword and pointed it at Patrick.
“A knight is a being who offers absolute loyalty to his lord. I cannot let you, my lord’s enemy, leave like this!”
Inspired by that roar that seemed to come from the depths of the captain’s gut, the other knights, who had been shrinking back in fear, found their courage.
The odds didn't matter.
As knights, there were simply times and places where they could not retreat.
For them, that time and place was here and now.
A grin spread across Patrick’s face at their unwavering resolve.
Then, Patrick shrugged and said, “That’s what they’re saying.”
“Ugh…. I feel like I’m dying. You could have at least offered me a shoulder.”
The one most shocked by the voice that answered was the Knight Captain facing Patrick.
“My Lo—rd!”
“I’m not deaf.”
Marquis Raines, who had been lying motionless, sat up and spoke.
The other knights also cried out for their lord and rushed toward him.
Marquis Raines stood up on his own, and after reassuring them, he said, “Everyone, move aside.”
Walking through the path the knights cleared for him, Marquis Raines approached Patrick.
“I lost.”
“I know.”
“And I am sorry. I will formally apologize for the rudeness of my knights.”
Then, Marquis Raines bowed deeply and respectfully to Patrick.
“My Lord, there is no need for you to—”
“Shut up!”
The Marquis’s thunderous voice echoed across the training grounds.