Chapter 239: The Genius Swordsman's Resolve
Raon lifted his chin and looked at Rimer, narrowing his eyes.
“Are you telling me to demonstrate swordsmanship right here?”
“Of course.”
He snapped his fingers as if to say “come at once.”
“Thank you for the help, but…”
Raon shook his head, staring at the Heavenly Sky Sword in his hand.
“As I said, this sword technique is not yet complete. I still can’t control the power.”
He had used the sound sword earlier, and it hadn’t been properly controlled, affecting the Light Wind Squad behind him. The first sword was harder to control than the second and could be dangerous.
“Huh? You’re worrying about me now?”
Rimer frowned and leaned in close, his face inches from Raon’s.
“You don’t know me? You don’t know me? I’m Rimer! Me! Me!”
He spat out the word “me” six times in a blink of an eye, looking utterly bewildered.
“Um…”
Raon clicked his tongue.
‘Of course I know you’re strong. But… I don’t trust him.’
He was still far from catching up to Rimer. He couldn’t figure out how to defeat him now that he was using the Sword Realm Manifestation.
His usual sloppy behavior made it hard to trust him.
“I have my own eyes, you know. Don’t worry, just come at me. I’ll tell you what to save and what to kill.”
Rimer gently turned his neck and drew the sword at his waist.
“You all watch closely. Watching Raon’s sword up close is a rare opportunity. I’m going to analyze every move and devour it.”
He grinned fiercely at the Light Wind Squad members behind him, ordering them to watch.
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
The squad members abandoned their tasks and sat in a circle, focusing their gazes. Their eyes sparkled with excitement after initial shock, as expected of swordsmen.
“Understood.”
Raon exhaled and sheathed the Heavenly Sky Sword.
‘If I’m going to do it, I have to do it properly.’ The sword technique he was using now was different from the previous Battōjutsu that suppressed enemies with speed.
It was a new form of Battōjutsu that synchronized sound and illusions to slash through the enemy’s life force, so he needed to understand the enemy’s actions well.
“Hoo.”
Raon cleared his thoughts, closed his eyes, then opened them and adjusted his breathing.
He held the sword with a calm gaze like a tranquil lake reflecting the red moon.
“Let’s begin.”
Raon’s hand moved. He lightly gripped the Heavenly Sky Sword and extended it. He listened carefully, ears straining. He had expected a loud explosion, but the sword name rang like a tiny, young beast growling.
Carduk!
The moment that eerie sound reached his ears, every hair on his body stood on end. His sinking heart began to race wildly.
‘Fast.’ The aura contained in the sound pierced deep into his ears. It was so fast that even a Master would have trouble defending against it. It was faster than the sword name he had heard before, though quieter in volume.
‘This…’
Rimer frowned. It wasn’t just the eardrums shaking. His hearing was dulled. The sound itself wasn’t properly reaching him.
‘He’s reducing the enemy’s hearing and then launching a follow-up attack?’
It was a surprising method of sound swordsmanship, but it wouldn’t work against a master. Rimer looked down at Raon’s illusion sword that had shot out almost simultaneously with the sound.
Chiiing!
The silver blade of the Heavenly Sky Sword came in for the neck. It wasn’t an illusion sword; it had shot forward without even a flicker of change or mirage.
‘A mistake… ah!’
Rimer’s eyes widened. In the shadow of the Heavenly Sky Sword aiming for his neck, a real blade was hidden, aimed straight at his heart.
Chiiing!
A chill ran down his spine from the sharp sword strike that seemed ready to pierce his heart.
“Kru!”
Raon exploded the aura he had been using and swung his sword to block.
Chaaang!
A massive shockwave erupted, and Raon was sent flying like a sheet of paper, tumbling across the ground.
“Umm…”
Raon planted his sword in the ground and frowned.
“That was a bit much.”
“I was just surprised.”
Rimer’s lazy expression, which had been blowing hot air, was filled with unmistakable shock.
“Still, you didn’t get hurt.”
“That’s true.”
Raon stood up lightly.
“I got fooled too.”
Rimer clicked his tongue with admiration in his eyes.
“The sword name didn’t just kill hearing.”
Raon drew his sword and the sword name he had unleashed didn’t just kill hearing; it dulled sight, smell, touch, and even the sixth sense. ‘That’s why my reaction was late.’
Raon’s illusion sword was excellent, but by killing all senses in an instant, it made the sword feel real. Even a master would have trouble reacting in time.
“It exceeded my imagination.”
Rimer grinned and clapped.
“You really created a crazy sword technique.”
It was hard to believe that a boy of eighteen had made such insane swordsmanship. Raon wasn’t just a simple genius; he was a sword monster carrying the spirit of a great sage.
Yet Raon’s eyes, when he unleashed such monstrous swordsmanship, remained calm.
“Master.”
He sheathed the Heavenly Sky Sword and approached Rimer.
“How do you think I should complete this sword?”
“Hmm…”
Rimer swung the sword and thought for a moment before nodding.
“First, the sound.”
“Sound?”
“I felt an unfamiliar sensation from the beast sound that burst out when you drew your sword. Mid-rank Master. No, even low-rank would make you wary of that sound.”
Raon had deliberately listened to that sound to properly see his sword, but a master would definitely be wary of such an alien sound.
“A true Battōjutsu master doesn’t draw their sword without sound.”
Rimer drew his sword in an instant. The blade that emerged without even a faint echo stood before Raon’s neck.
“If you kill the sound entirely like this, the opponent will think it’s real Battōjutsu and focus only on speed.”
“But if I don’t make any sound…”
“Harpy doesn’t use mana-based ultrasound to stop human movement.”
He drew a circle with his finger and continued.
“Using a sound sword that kills the opponent’s senses after killing sound is extremely difficult, but if you borrow the power of mana like the harpy, it should be possible.”
“Sound…”
Raon nodded slowly as if something had occurred to him.
“Second, the illusion.”
Rimer raised his index finger.
“It’s fast enough to be considered an illusion, and hiding the real blade in the shadow of the illusion is good. But…”
He shot out a sword strike as if demonstrating again. The blade carrying wind became a streak of light and shot forward.
“You need to increase the speed and delay the moment when the real sword separates from the illusion.”
“You mean delay the separation of the real sword from the illusion sword even more.”
“Yes. If you delay the separation of the illusion sword just a little more, it will become a sword technique that’s hard to avoid even if you know it.”
“Understood.”
Raon nodded while looking at the Heavenly Sky Sword as if memorizing the words.
“Your Battōjutsu is innovative, but it won’t work unconditionally. A low-rank will be killed easily, but even a mid-rank can avoid it.”
“That makes sense.”
“But if sound, speed, and the delay of illusion are all perfected…”
Rimer smiled cheerfully with serious eyes.
“Not only your equal, but even a mid-rank Master could be killed in one strike.”
“I understand.”
After giving advice, Rimer looked around at the Light Wind Squad. Burren, Marta, and Runaan also raised their hands, having not understood.
“Then, let’s return to our main task for once and have Rimer explain it.”
He walked in front of the squad with a creaking sound and began explaining how Raon was using the sword.
Raon watched Rimer explain the mystery of the sword to the swordsmen and turned his head.
‘Sound, speed, and delay…’
He had shown it well.
Rimer pointed out the flaws as if he had known them all along from the first time he saw it. As expected, he was no ordinary person.
‘I think I can solve all of it.’
The hardest part of his advice was the sound, but there was a way to solve it.
‘Memories from my previous life.’
Having lived as an assassin for his entire life, he was more skilled at killing sound than anyone else. It would require a lot of research and practice, but mixing in the Shadow Martial Arts’ incantations should be enough.
“This is going to be fun.”
With the foundation laid, it was just a matter of stacking up. The development of the two sword techniques was something he looked forward to, and a smile naturally came to his face.
“Hmm.”
Wrath clicked his tongue as he climbed onto Raon’s bracelet.
“It’s amazing that you have time to do your job, huh.”
He frowned at Rimer’s back. ‘Yeah.’
Raon smiled faintly. Rimer was usually a slacker, but Raon couldn’t hate him for showing such serious moments.
“Raon!”
Rimer approached as Raon was about to start sword training. The swordsmen had gathered in small groups to discuss after the explanation ended.
“There’s one thing I didn’t tell you.”
“What is it?”
Raon listened with anticipation for another piece of advice, but the words that came out of his mouth were beyond imagination.
“Tuition.”
“Huh?”
“If you heard such great advice, there should be tuition to match.”
“You didn’t say there was tuition.”
“I didn’t say there wasn’t either.”
He extended his hand with a grin.
“I have to take something from you. Pay up.”
“Haa…”
Raon stretched his lips and sighed.
‘As expected, this slacker elf…’
After the short lesson, Rimer led the Light Wind Squad.
Although it was his job, Raon felt grateful because he had been slacking off so much. It seemed like a bad learning effect.
Nevertheless, thanks to Rimer doing some work, Raon was able to find time for sword training.
While moving, he researched ways to reduce or increase the sound of Battōjutsu from the back. During rest time, he practiced drawing his sword to hone his quick draw. At night, he stood watch and planned to perfect the illusion in his imagination.
Day after day. No, as the journey itself became part of sword training, he steadily honed sound sword, illusion sword, and quick draw, and before he knew it, they had arrived near the Gazelle River, their destination.
“Huh?”
“This is the Gazelle River?”
“It’s a bit different from what I heard.”
“I heard it was clear enough to drink…”
The Light Wind Squad members looked at the thick turquoise river water with puzzled expressions.
“Um…”
Raon narrowed his eyes at the dark, murky Gazelle River that was invisible.
‘The color has changed.’
When he had heard about this place before, the river water had been clear enough to see the fish below, but now it was pitch black, so much so that even the bottom couldn’t be seen.
“It seems not only the Cheongru tribe, but the river water itself has a problem.”
Rimer frowned and gripped the reins.
“Let’s move quickly. The village of Doran is ahead.”
When they arrived at the entrance to Doran Village, people were coming out from inside the village.
“Hurry!”
“Move quickly!”
“Weapons are sufficient?”
“Just bring anything! We have to drive them out!”
People came out from inside the village and ran toward the river with spears, harpoons, and bows in their hands.
“Plan change.”
Rimer turned around. His eyes were calm and serious.
“We’re chasing them.”
“Yes!”
The villagers weren’t warriors, so they could be caught easily.
“What’s going on?”
Rimer approached a sturdy middle-aged man who was running at the front.
“Who are you?”
The middle-aged man scanned Rimer from head to toe with wary eyes.
“We’re from House Zieghart.”
Rimer lifted his robe and revealed the burning sword pattern embroidered on his uniform.
“Ah! House Zieghart!”
The middle-aged man nodded vigorously. However, his expression wasn’t bright, so it didn’t seem like he was unconditionally happy.
“The Cheongru tribe is attacking a ship upstream. We were running to save them somehow.”
“Location?”
“Just keep going in this direction.”
He gestured northwest.
“You all heard?”
Rimer turned around.
“Charge at full speed!”
“Yes!”
The Light Wind Squad members nodded and were about to run in the direction the old man had indicated when a sound like an explosion erupted from the water.
Following that sound, a river twice as wide as the one they had seen before appeared, and in the center of it floated a large warship.
“Uwaaaak!”
“Why is this happening!”
“Retreat!”
The sailors on the ship stabbed long spears at the water and shot arrows in panic.
“This…”
Raon looked at the river water, not the ship or the sailors. Something was wriggling in the thicker river water.
Boong!
A huge explosion erupted as if magic had detonated in the river water, and the warship rocked as if it were about to sink.
Kugugugu!
Next, a blue dragon’s roar rose, and the being that had been below the water emerged.
There was a big difference between the human-like appearance and the actual being. Its skin was a light blue, its ears and palms were large, fins like waves were on its arms and back, and webbed fingers were on its hands.
“Cheongru tribe.”
The appearance was the same as the ones he had seen before, but there was one difference. Their eyes. The pure eyes that had been terrified upon seeing him from his previous life were gone.
What was shining now was only a crimson light filled with malice and rage.
“Kiiii!”
“Kyaaaa!”
The Cheongru tribe raised a waterfall of water as if trying to drown the sailors and struck the keel of the ship.
Chuk-chuk-chuk!
A loud noise like wood splitting in half rang out, and the ship began to sink little by little.
“Runaan!”
Raon ran toward the river and called Runaan. If he froze the water with Runaan, they could reach the ship.
“Yes!”
Runaan immediately understood and stood beside him.
Uwoong!
When Raon dipped his hand in the water and activated the cold energy, a majestic boat horn sound rang out.
When he looked up, a huge battleship was entering from behind the warship.
The flag of the battleship, which was cutting through the waves with tremendous qi, fluttered with the word “Alliance” written in blue letters.
Raon frowned and clenched his fist.
“South-North Alliance…”