Chapter 109: On the Edge of the Cliff (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: On the Edge of the Cliff (3)
People always said that the 5-Star Realm was the true starting point of power on the continent. From that stage onward, a single individual's martial prowess could alter the course of an entire battlefield.
Boom!
Rumble!
Butler’s Aura erupted into a violent tempest.
This duel was no superficial match fought for honor. The fate of the Hector Kingdom hung in the balance, and Butler had no intention of dragging it out. The nobles of Cairo stared with wide eyes at the devastating strike, an attack powerful enough to warp the very air. Even if Roman Dmitry was a step stronger than the rumors suggested, they couldn't even begin to imagine how he would block Butler’s blow.
And yet.
Clang!
Crash!
Roman and Butler’s swords clashed.
The Aura that looked ready to swallow Roman whole failed to pierce his blade. Instead, each time their weapons collided, a powerful shockwave erupted, sweeping across the battlefield. For a brief moment, Butler couldn't hide his shock. Roman Dmitry was a 4-Star Swordsman at best, yet he had achieved the absurd feat of blocking his Aura.
It was an unexpected turn of events. But Butler pushed his doubts aside. Even if his opponent was stronger than anticipated, it was an undeniable fact that Butler held the absolute advantage in a clash of pure strength.
'I will end this in a single breath.'
Rumble!
His Aura exploded.
Butler paid no heed to his opponent’s defense. When Roman blocked a downward strike aimed at his head, Butler took a step forward and slashed to the right. When Roman twisted his body to block the right, Butler immediately targeted the opposite side. It was a speed almost impossible to track with the naked eye. The mana inside Butler’s body circulated endlessly, granting explosive power to his every movement.
Thud!
His thighs swelled with power.
Detonating his Aura and kicking off the ground, he suddenly appeared in Roman’s field of vision as if folding space itself.
Boom!
Rumble!
A reputation well-deserved.
Butler’s renown was not built on empty rumors. It was an achievement forged layer by layer over decades of living as a swordsman. When he reached the 5-Star Realm, people recognized Butler as the Sword of Hector. The ordinary swordsmen watching from afar found it hard to even breathe. Under the tempestuous onslaught, Roman was pushed back continuously, and minor wounds began to accumulate on his body without him even realizing it.
Slash!
Blood splattered.
Even though it was a mere graze, the skin protected by Aura tore like paper, scattering droplets of blood.
Even so, Roman did not even grimace.
Instead, it was the Cairo nobles watching from a distance who stamped their feet in anxiety.
"...Oh dear."
"Is he going to lose at this rate?"
Roman’s plan. They had shown faith in his words, choosing to trust him.
In their minds, they knew that no matter how great Roman Dmitry was, he could not defeat Butler. Yet, they had forced themselves to nod just to stay in his good graces. In truth, simply enduring a 5-Star Aura was already an incredible feat. This moment reaffirmed that Roman Dmitry possessed a talent destined to shake the continent—but if his head was severed by Butler’s sword, such a future would be utterly meaningless.
Flash.
Butler’s sword vanished from sight.
After steadily driving Roman into a corner, Butler aimed for his blind spot.
Clang!
Rumble!
It was a shocking reaction speed.
Butler had thought his attack would surely land this time, but Roman Dmitry blocked it once again by a hair’s breadth. It was from that moment that doubt began to sprout. Butler had been absolutely certain that the fight was in his favor. The counter-force transmitted through his sword was not particularly overwhelming, and even without asking, it was clear that Roman Dmitry was struggling to defend against his attacks.
And yet.
The more they exchanged blows, the more the situation shifted in a strange direction.
'He's getting faster.'
At first, Roman had barely managed to block the follow-up attacks after desperately defending against the initial strikes. But now, even though Butler was pressing him far more aggressively, Roman’s speed in transitioning to defense was steadily increasing.
Clang!
Crash!
He was fast.
No matter how Butler attacked, Roman reacted. He wasn't just blocking a 5-Star Aura; his eyes were accurately reading Butler’s intentions.
Suddenly, goosebumps broke out on Butler's skin.
Only then did he realize where his doubts had originated.
'Could this... be a probing battle?'
Indeed.
Roman Dmitry. Against Butler, a 5-Star Swordsman, he had not yet unleashed his full strength.
* * *
Butler.
He was strong. He possessed a power that could not be overcome with a mere six months of training, and he was the first opponent who made Roman feel pushed back in a clash of pure strength. Finally, Roman could see his standing in this new world. Although he had slain the 4-Star Homeros in a single stroke, he still could not guarantee a decisive victory against a seasoned 5-Star Swordsman.
A wall.
He had met an opponent he had to look up to.
While Roman was certain he would surpass him given time, meeting him now only made his competitive spirit burn hotter.
'I will bring Butler down and take another step forward.'
He put his life on the line. He faced the exploding Aura head-on with his entire body.
Boom!
Rumble!
The power was immense.
An attack that warped space as it lunged forward should, by all accounts, be impossible to block unless one was of an equal level. Yet, strangely, Roman’s Aura did not fade even when clashing with such strikes. This was a realm incomprehensible to people like Butler. They believed and followed the traditional methods of using Aura passed down through generations as absolute truth, but Roman knew there was a fatal flaw in their method.
'The explosion of Aura. The reckless eruption of Qi has a clear weakness.'
In this world, those called Aura Swordsmen did not manipulate mana delicately; instead, they unleashed their power in explosive bursts.
Reckless power.
While it was a method to exert explosive force in an instant, power exploding in all directions could not reinforce every part of the sword uniformly. It was a simple theory. In Murim, condensed Qi could deliver a consistent impact under any circumstance, but in this world, the impact varied depending on the point of contact.
If the edge of Butler’s blade manifested 120% of its Aura, the flat side only exerted 80% of its power.
This was Roman’s target.
Though he had not yet reached the same realm, Roman read the flow of mana and precisely targeted the weaker areas.
Clang!
Crash!
The clash of Aura.
An unbelievable battle, hard to credit even with one's own eyes, unfolded in this manner.
Discerning the constantly shifting eruptions of Aura and targeting their weaknesses was by no means an easy task, but Roman’s acute senses turned this absurdity into reality. That was why he needed time to adapt. He watched his opponent’s attacks, deciphered the patterns, and recalled the time spent in his mental simulations.
In his imaginary world, he had died countless times against Butler.
The real Butler was even stronger than his mental projection, but the countless scenarios Roman had accumulated in his mind allowed him to read the future.
Whoosh!
An attack aiming for the head, followed immediately by a strike to the flank.
It was a pattern that had appeared only once during their brief skirmish in the mountains, but Roman remembered his style of attack vividly. Not only that, but he also anticipated the various follow-up attacks that could follow. Even though Butler had not yet shown those moves, Roman’s vast imagination, branching out in all directions, grasped his opponent’s intentions.
The Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk.
His life had never been smooth. He had faced enemies incomparably stronger than Butler, yet he had always triumphed in the end through his own methods.
Just like now.
'The probing battle is over.'
His momentum shifted abruptly.
In an instant, he lunged into his opponent’s space. As Butler pulled back his sword and flared his Aura, Roman’s eyes caught the spot where the Aura was weakest.
'Heavenly Demon Sword Technique, Third Form.'
Crash!
Rumble!
He poured in everything.
Into this single strike, he detonated the mana in his Dantian.
Butler, who had naturally assumed he could block the attack, had his face warp with shock the moment their swords collided. A tremendous impact rippled through him. It felt as if Butler’s insides were being twisted all at once, and the moment he showed a slight loss of balance, Roman did not miss the opportunity.
Boom!
Crash!
It was a one-sided onslaught.
A split-second mistake. To ordinary eyes, it was a minor wobble that could hardly even be called a mistake, but Roman Dmitry’s attacks allowed him not a single moment of respite. Butler was left breathless. He was entirely occupied with desperately blocking the strikes, and whenever his Aura failed to manifest evenly, Roman ruthlessly targeted that gap.
Butler. A 5-Star Swordsman was being pushed back.
As Roman pressed Butler hard, the onlookers from both sides went beyond mere surprise, their faces frozen in sheer shock.
This made no sense.
Roman Dmitry. For a young man barely in his mid-twenties to push back a 5-Star Swordsman like Butler defied all common sense.
And at that moment, Butler’s patience reached its limit.
* * *
Butler thought to himself, 'This guy is truly insane.'
Before accepting the duel, Edwin Hector had warned of the possibility of a trap. He had argued that since there was no logical way for Roman Dmitry to win, he must have some sort of scheme up his sleeve.
But the reality was different.
Roman had not resorted to any tricks. He was showing a pure intention to defeat Butler through martial prowess alone, and under Roman’s pressure, Butler actually felt himself wavering. It was shocking. Butler had faced countless swordsmen in his life. Among them were those hailed as geniuses, but Butler himself possessed a talent that was second to none.
Even with his decades of experience, Roman Dmitry’s presence was overwhelming.
Moreover, Butler could not help but admire Roman’s sheer audacity to stake everything on a duel when he could have easily settled for his current advantageous situation.
'We prepared for a year to attack the Cairo Kingdom. The reason our seemingly perfect plan began to fall apart was because an absurd existence like him happened to be on the Southern Front. It is certain. As long as Roman Dmitry draws breath, we cannot achieve our goal. If we let Roman Dmitry live like this, the Hector Kingdom will eventually have to face an uncontrollable monster.'
He acknowledged his opponent.
In his twenties, Butler had been nothing like him. Not only did he lack such incredible ability, but he also had not been brave enough to risk his life when knowing his opponent was vastly stronger. To be precise, Butler’s courage had always operated within the boundaries of common sense. While Butler had certainly lived his life as a warrior, he could not compare to the Roman Dmitry standing before him.
Therefore.
'I must kill Roman Dmitry here and now.'
For now, the fact that he held the upper hand remained unchanged. Although his opponent was demonstrating truly remarkable skills, clashing swords directly had given Butler certainty.
He was stronger.
He erupted his Aura.
Using up every last drop of his mana, he pushed his opponent back with relentless force.
Boom!
Crash!
There was no way to block it.
With such an excessive eruption of Aura, every part of Butler’s blade was reinforced to 100%. Roman stopped trying to block the strikes directly and instead focused entirely on evading.
He was clever. He was fast, and his judgment was flawless.
But at that moment, Butler made his decisive move.
'If you can withstand this as well, I will acknowledge you as my equal.'
A single strike.
The secret technique that had made Butler who he was today.
His mana boiled. The mana, erupting like an active volcano, concentrated into a single point, soaring high enough to touch the heavens and filling Roman’s entire field of vision.
Throughout his many brushes with death, only two people had ever blocked this attack.
One had become the First Sword of Hector.
The other had entered the continental rankings.
And now, Butler unleashed that very strike upon Roman Dmitry.
"This is the end."
Rumble!
Crash!
The attack detonated.
Like a falling sun, the exploding Aura swallowed Roman Dmitry’s entire being in an instant.