A Single Exchange
Raon did not let his focus slip even as he watched the wall of Battle Qi crumble.
"Guhhh!"
"D-damn it!"
Through the shattering crimson wall, Jeokranggwi and Heuk-ikgwi thrashed in a desperate bid to flee, their lips trembling.
A low hum rolled from the tip of his blade. The gravitational pull blooming there dragged the two ghosts in as he poured more strength into the hand gripping the Heavenly Sky Sword.
A crimson radiance that had already shattered even Ganggi crushed Jeokranggwi's right shoulder and Heuk-ikgwi's left arm. The two ghosts could not withstand the weight nested within the Heavy Heavenly Cannon. They vomited blood as they were driven into the ground.
"AAAAAGH!"
"Ghhhk..."
Jeokranggwi and Heuk-ikgwi screamed, clutching their ruined arm and shoulder.
I have to finish this now.
Raon kicked off the earth, crashed toward the fallen Jeokranggwi, and unleashed the Mad Fang Sword.
"You bastard!"
Jeokranggwi rose on his legs alone and thrust out his left hand. Crimson Battle Qi gathered along his rake-like claws.
I don't need to deflect anymore.
Raon bit down on his lip and brought the Mad Fang Sword crashing down. The fangs of a beast wreathed in flame burned through the Ganggi condensed from Battle Qi.
"Y-you lunatic!"
The composure Jeokranggwi had maintained shattered; his pupils wavered as if struck by a crashing wave.
"We're not done yet."
Raon drove a rooted step into the earth and carved the Mad Fang Sword's Flash Spear. A blaze as keen as a spear-thrust from a battlefield's supreme commander tore through Jeokranggwi's remaining hand.
"GRAAAAAH!"
On the verge of losing his left hand as well, Jeokranggwi let out a second scream. Just as Raon moved to take his head, a savage surge of Battle Qi poured in from behind.
Heuk-ikgwi.
He didn't need to look. The ghost had clearly dived in, aiming for an opening.
I won't let that happen again.
Until now, he'd lacked the power and had been forced to retreat. That was no longer the case.
Raon spun and unleashed the swordsmanship of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Flame Ganggi surged up like thorns and clashed against Heuk-ikgwi's dagger.
A tremendous shockwave exploded outward. Before, Raon himself would have been driven back—but not now. The Ganggi of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, burning Battle Qi as it advanced, stood with him.
"Y-you... what the hell are you?! How do you have this kind of power the moment you awaken...?"
Heuk-ikgwi's lips trembled. His eyes were drowned in shock, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Because I didn't awaken."
Raon smiled coldly and drove the Heavenly Sky Sword forward with both hands.
I simply walked the path.
He hadn't broken through a wall the way others did. He had merely walked beyond a wall he'd already shattered—so there was no chance his current realm would falter.
"Nngh!"
Heuk-ikgwi couldn't withstand the Heavenly Sky Sword's overwhelming force. His feet sank into the earth.
"Uwaaaaah!"
Heuk-ikgwi screamed and detonated what power he had left, but it changed nothing. Even with everything he had, he couldn't push the Heavenly Sky Sword back. His jaw trembled in terror.
"Wh-what...?"
"Heuk-ikgwi! Hold on!"
Believing this was his last chance, Jeokranggwi poured a massive surge of Battle Qi into his shredded hand and charged.
Raon kicked Heuk-ikgwi away and spun around. He unleashed Flame Dragon Form against the Battle Qi crashing down like a giant's fist. The Ganggi spreading across the entire blade transformed into a dragon's head and roared out a colossal blaze.
The roar of Flame Dragon Form, executed not as mere swordsmanship but as Sword Blade Aura, split Jeokranggwi's last Battle Qi and punched a black hole through his chest.
"Ah... ah..."
Jeokranggwi stared down at the hole in his chest—a hole that had even burned away the blood—then toppled backward.
"Hic! Hiiiek!"
Heuk-ikgwi, who had been watching for an opening, recoiled in horror. He flapped his one remaining wing and bolted toward the tree Akyanggwi was leaning against.
"P-please, spare m—"
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Raon stepped into Supreme Harmony Footwork. Heuk-ikgwi had the gift of flight, but on the ground he was slower than Jeokranggwi. Raon closed the distance in an instant and drove the Heavenly Sky Sword toward the ghost's heart.
"Y-you monster!"
Sensing the killing intent, Heuk-ikgwi spun around. He twisted the reverse-gripped dagger into a guard.
Deflection?
He knew he couldn't win with raw power, so he meant to deflect the strike with his dagger. A sound idea. That dagger was a famed blade, difficult to break even with Ganggi.
But.
Not in front of me.
He had learned deflection by fighting the strong with insufficient power. Naturally, he also knew how to shut down an opponent's deflection.
He imbued the Heavenly Sky Sword with a softness like flowing water. Using Heuk-ikgwi's deflection against him, he pressed the blade inward. The Heavenly Sky Sword's edge punched through the black armor and buried itself in Heuk-ikgwi's shoulder.
"GRAAAAAH!"
Raon looked down coldly at the screaming ghost and lifted his chin.
"Deflection happens to be my specialty."
"W-wait! Listen to me—"
"You made the wrong choice."
Raon dragged the Heavenly Sky Sword straight down from Heuk-ikgwi's shoulder. The impossibly hard black armor parted like tofu, and the blade carved through to the ghost's heart.
"Ghhk... you..."
Heuk-ikgwi died before he could even finish his last words.
"Hoo..."
Raon looked at the corpses of Jeokranggwi and Heuk-ikgwi and let out a murky breath. As the tension eased, a dull ache bloomed in his chest. The pain he'd forgotten in the heat of battle was coming back.
Just a little longer.
He clenched his teeth, stood, and straightened his back. The pain intensified, but he showed none of it as he raised the Heavenly Sky Sword and pointed it at Akyanggwi.
"S-Saint..."
Julius shook Pedrick's hand so hard it seemed he might tear it off.
"He won, right? He really won, didn't he?"
The boy's face was flushed red with excitement as he bounced in place.
"Who is that young man? How can someone so young defeat monsters like that?"
Julius, who had been unnaturally composed for his age, now had eyes sparkling with awe.
"Do you remember what I told you earlier?"
"What you told me?"
"The person I said I wanted to introduce you to."
"Ah—the one they said could never become a martial artist because of his constitution..."
"The child from that story is that young man right there."
Pedrick swallowed dryly and pointed at Raon's back.
He hasn't changed at all.
The blond hair and crimson eyes that resembled Glenn's, and those calm eyes that never wavered no matter the situation—none of it had changed. Pedrick finally understood why the boy had felt so familiar from the first moment he'd seen him.
"I-is that really true?"
"I don't know why he's here, but that boy has completely shattered my judgment."
He let out a hollow laugh as he looked at Raon's back.
Raon is seventeen now? No—the year has turned, so he's eighteen. Even so, he's pushed the record for youngest Master back by at least five years.
The boy he'd thought would struggle to become even an ordinary martial artist had become the youngest Master on the continent. The sheer absurdity of it made Pedrick feel as if his mind might slip away.
I thought reinforcements would come. He finished it alone.
He'd expected a division leader or a squad leader from House Zieghart to arrive with him. Instead, Raon had broken through the wall by his own enlightenment and cut down Jeokranggwi and Heuk-ikgwi. Honestly, it still felt like a dream.
But it isn't over yet.
Pedrick bit his lip as he looked at Akyanggwi, the one Raon's sword was now pointed at.
This is where the real fight begins.
Akyanggwi was distinctly stronger than Jeokranggwi or Heuk-ikgwi. Even Pedrick couldn't tell how much power the ghost was still hiding.
And he hasn't used a scrap of aura or stamina.
Unlike Jeokranggwi, Heuk-ikgwi, and the Mad Blood Ghost, this one hadn't expended even a sliver of power. In the village he'd merely shouted as if playing around, and here he hadn't so much as lifted a finger. He still had his full strength.
Raon seemed to have taken another step even after awakening, but spent aura didn't return, and the injuries he'd already taken wouldn't vanish. No matter how Pedrick looked at it, defeating Akyanggwi seemed impossible.
And yet Raon showed not the slightest waver. He knew Akyanggwi was strong. He knew his own condition was at its worst. And still he raised his sword more proudly than he had at the start.
So that's it...
That wasn't the power of martial might. It was the dignity of a human soul. Raon's presence had reached a height Pedrick could scarcely comprehend.
"Saint."
Pedrick looked down at Julius's excited voice.
"Does that mean we can go home now?"
The boy was looking at Raon with hope in his eyes.
"Yes. That's how it will be."
Pedrick hid what he truly felt, smiled gently, and took Julius's shoulder.
"That's how it has to be."
He nodded, unaware that his own hand had tightened.
Raon chewed his lip as he looked at Akyanggwi.
This one is even stronger than I thought...
Now that he had reached Master, the power the ghost had been concealing came into view. Akyanggwi looked stronger than Jeokranggwi and Heuk-ikgwi combined.
Only now you notice?
Wrath snickered as he rose above the bracelet.
Your awakening was unexpected, but that one is on a different level. His original ability is one thing, but that bizarre armor has made him far stronger still.
He scanned Akyanggwi from head to toe, his smile deepening.
Even if your stamina and aura returned, beating him would be impossible.
That's why you took the bet? Why you told me to make all three of them disappear?
Obviously. Don't you dare think of This King as some Demon King who always loses. This time, the victory belongs to This King!
Wrath, brimming with confidence, gave a haughty sniff and stroked a nose that wasn't even there.
Give up and hand over your body now. Hope is something you simply don't—
You don't know until you see it through to the end.
Without lowering his sword, Raon resonated the Ring of Fire and circulated Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
My condition is bad—that's true. But I've gained a great deal as well.
The sensation of cold cords binding his body had vanished, and the Middle Dantian near his solar plexus had opened. His aura was recovering rapidly, and his internal injuries were slowly healing. If he endured and analyzed the way he had when he brought down Jeokranggwi and Heuk-ikgwi, an opening to win might present itself.
"Hmm."
Akyanggwi gave a slight nod and uncrossed his arms.
He's moving.
Raon tensed, tightening his grip on the Heavenly Sky Sword—and then came the sound of applause.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
It was Akyanggwi. Still leaning against the tree, he clapped with a dull, heavy sound.
"Impressive. That was a real treat to watch."
Akyanggwi looked at the corpses of Jeokranggwi and Heuk-ikgwi and smiled as if it were someone else's affair.
"What the hell are you?"
Raon frowned.
"What are you trying to do?"
"I already told you."
Akyanggwi shrugged with easy leisure.
"My job is to block this path. That's all I'm doing."
He still showed no intention of moving, his back remaining against the tree. That same light, casual tone. It felt like talking to a child.
"So if we don't go that way, you won't move?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Akyanggwi scratched his chin and nodded.
"Insane."
Raon narrowed his eyes. Across his previous life and this one, he had grasped most people's psychology—but this one was a complete blank. Like fog. He could see nothing.
And yet...
Strangely, the ghost's temperament didn't feel entirely unfamiliar. He felt as if he'd seen someone like this before, but he couldn't place it.
"Don't look so weirded out."
Akyanggwi raised a single finger.
"Your House Zieghart isn't a monolith either, right?"
"What?"
"Just because you're in Zieghart doesn't mean everyone thinks the same. Some want the house to grow. Some want to keep things as they are. Some might even want it to fall."
"You mean factions?"
Raon narrowed his eyes at Akyanggwi's slowly unfolding fingers. If the ghost was telling the truth, Eden had factions of its own.
"Correct. Sharp as ever."
Akyanggwi nodded broadly. The goat horns on his helmet swayed as if they were alive.
"Those two, and that madwoman outside—their will and mine aren't the same."
He pointed in turn at the lifeless Jeokranggwi and Heuk-ikgwi, then at Merlin beyond the forest.
"So we can really just turn around and leave?"
"Of course. Fighting an exhausted kid isn't my idea of fun. I'd like to say that, but..."
For the first time, Akyanggwi peeled his back from the tree. He lifted his chin and approached with slow steps.
"If I just let you go, I might catch a lot of heat. So."
He reached into the air. Space warped, and a greatsword as black as if painted in ink burst forth. Akyanggwi wrapped his hand around the greatsword's hilt and smiled.
"Let's settle this in a single exchange."
"A single exchange?"
"That's right. One strike. If you survive, I'll let you go. Those two behind you as well."
He pointed at Pedrick and the child behind Raon.
"Prepare yourself."
The instant Akyanggwi raised the greatsword and pointed it at him, a wicked energy coiled up from the earth and surged all the way to the heavens. The terrifying energy exceeded the range of his senses. A dry swallow rose in Raon's throat of its own accord.
Th-this—!
Wrath shot up from the bracelet, grinding his teeth.
What is that idiot saying?! Swing that sword right now and attack this one!
He trembled from head to toe, horrified that the situation had gone off-script.
The bet isn't over yet, so sit still.
He shoved Wrath aside as the Demon King flailed like a tantruming child, then slowly drew in a breath.
A single exchange.
Raon lowered his eyelids. He considered his current condition and remaining aura. A single exchange. If it was just one exchange, he believed he could endure even that tremendous power.
"Raon!"
Pedrick's voice came from behind. It was the same voice as before, but a different worry had seeped into it.
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
Raon looked at Pedrick and the child and smiled faintly. He waved a hand to put them at ease, then stepped in front of Akyanggwi.
This is just my luck.
Standing before him, the ghost's martial power pressed in unfiltered. A vicious presence that matched that savage-looking greatsword perfectly seemed to pierce his skin.
Unlike the Mad Blood Ghost, this one was clearly a Master above Raon even without that armor. And in that state he could still use high-circle magic. He was a monster, plain and simple.
"Prepare yourself."
Akyanggwi raised the greatsword above his head. The claim that he would put his all into a single exchange was no lie—an unimaginable force radiated from the blade standing at the high guard.
"Hoo..."
Raon steadied his breath and drew up Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Energy that had ripened past the lower dantian, through the middle, condensed and bloomed as blazing Ganggi along the blade.
I have to pour the enlightenment I just gained into this.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation was a martial art that grew stronger as its master grew. He had to pour that enlightenment into this strike.
"We'll start when this hits the ground."
"Fine."
Raon nodded, and Akyanggwi tossed the leaf he'd been holding in his left hand into the air.
When the leaf, lifted on the night wind, slowly began to fall, a blazing crimson light flashed in Raon's eyes.
He poured the enlightenment of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, gained upon reaching Master, into the edge of the Heavenly Sky Sword.
Ten blossoms of flame nested in a silver trajectory spread like shadows, blooming into a hundred flowers.
The warped crimson radiance along the blade shot toward the black greatsword crashing down as if to collapse the sky.
A deafening crash split the night.