You Underestimated Your Brother
Raon narrowed his eyes at Burren, whose mouth hung open wide enough for his jaw to fall off.
Looks like I made it in time.
His eyes were still alive.
Raon had been worried, certain that Judiel would have been brainwashed—but fortunately, there didn't seem to be any serious problem. Burren's pupils weren't clouded. They were sharp and clear.
"R-Raon Zieghart? How did you get here?!"
Gelmier Zieghart's lips trembled. Shock was written plainly across his eyes.
"I had a guide."
Raon pointed at the blue-haired swordsman standing in the doorway. Murderous intent dripped from Gelmier's gaze as it fell on the man.
"Dir. You little—"
"I-it's not me! I didn't do anything!"
The swordsman called Dir waved his hands frantically.
"That guy was a pretty good guide. Made the trip nice and easy."
By simply following in Dir's footsteps, Raon had reached this place without triggering a single formation or trap. He'd smashed through the ceiling because walking in through the door might have gotten Burren taken hostage—and it had worked perfectly.
"That's not what I asked!"
Gelmier slammed his fist into the wall. The impossibly solid wall of the secret chamber crumbled into powder.
"I'm asking how you knew Burren was here!"
"Ah, that? Well, actually..."
Raon let out a short laugh and shrugged.
"Never mind. I don't need to tell you."
"You..."
A sound like something grinding to dust came from Gelmier's mouth. His rage looked ready to boil over the top of his skull.
"I'll tell you one thing, though."
Raon raised a finger and pointed at Burren behind him.
"You underestimated your little brother far too much."
"What?"
"Burren's the most responsible swordsman in the Light Wind Squad. He's the kind of stiff-necked idiot who'd come in person to explain himself to everyone if he ever had to miss training."
The idea that that uptight guy—who all but served as vice-captain of the Light Wind Squad—would send a butler to report his absence from training had never made sense from the start.
"Mm..."
Burren bit down hard on his lip as he looked at Raon's back.
Was it because he'd received unexpected praise in a situation like this? His heart hammered violently in his chest. Gratitude toward the man who had acknowledged him and come to save him brought him to the verge of tears.
"Raon. Thank you, really—"
"Don't go calling my name like you did something right. Getting yourself captured like an idiot."
"Urgh!"
The cold words, once again defying every expectation, brought his racing heart to a dead stop.
"What happened to Gorman and the Vanguard Squad?"
"Find out yourself."
Raon answered Gelmier's question with a lazy smile. Even the space above the shattered ceiling was part of a specially constructed secret chamber; there was no way to sense what was happening on the surface.
"If you can."
Having decided to shatter Gelmier's composure, Raon declined to answer his questions and simply lounged in his own.
"You little bastard..."
A chilling aura rose from Gelmier, as if he were about to charge that very instant.
It landed perfectly.
Even a Master couldn't help it in a situation like this. Caught red-handed kidnapping his own brother, Gelmier had lost his cool and fallen into chaos.
"Why were you being held here?"
Raon turned his head to look at Burren.
"Th-that's..."
"What are you hesitating for? Do you still think of that thing as your brother?"
He pointed at Gelmier, whose eyes were rolling as he tried to figure out how to escape this situation.
"Haa... yeah. You're right. That thing isn't my brother anymore."
Burren let out a long breath, expelling the knot of emotion in his chest, then gave a dry chuckle.
"He was after you. Said he wanted to kill you before you climbed any higher."
He continued, staring at Gelmier with cold eyes.
"He said he needed my help to kill you. He wanted me to find out your weaknesses and lure you in."
"Burren!"
Gelmier screamed, but Burren didn't close his mouth.
"When I refused, he used that guy to try and brainwash me..."
Burren jerked his chin toward Olan, who was wringing his hands beside Gelmier.
"Wow. Impressive."
Raon sneered as he looked at Gelmier's glistening eyes.
To think it'd play out exactly as I expected.
Just as he'd predicted from the start, Gelmier had targeted him and tried to use Burren. An older brother kidnapping his younger brother and trying to brainwash him—even among trash, this was a special kind of trash.
"This is the first time I've seen a human whose vessel is smaller than a dog's food bowl."
Most of the martial artists Raon had met until now had carried a weight that matched their power. Gelmier was clearly a swordsman who stood higher than him—and yet, in this moment, he looked so very small.
"Am I that scary to you?"
Raon grinned at Gelmier, and a blue-green gleam of murderous intent sprang up in the man's eyes.
"Shut your mouth. Before I cut that snout off."
Gelmier drew his sword, his voice chilling. It was a thin blade, a little thicker than a rapier, usable for slashing as well as thrusting.
"Burren. Your mind's still intact, right?"
"I can fight!"
Burren nodded, lips pressed tight.
"That's a relief."
Raon let out a short laugh and drew the Heavenly Sky Sword. He spun the blade in his right hand as if loosening his wrist.
Clang!
Before the sword had even completed a full rotation back to its starting position, the manacles and shackles binding Burren were torn away by sword aura.
"Ugh..."
Burren couldn't keep his balance and slumped forward.
"D-don't worry! It's just because I've been tied up for so long."
He shook his head as if to say he was fine and immediately pushed himself back to his feet. The way his arms and legs trembled, though, made it clear he was having a harder time than he claimed.
"Hmm..."
Raon nodded as he looked not at Burren's body, but at his hardened, unyielding eyes.
He's alright.
It was a presence hard to believe belonged to someone who'd been bound and subjected to brainwashing for about a week. A strange energy flowed from above his head, and a concentration so intense it was almost frightening could be felt as well.
"Hmm. He's entered an awakened state."
Wrath frowned as he looked at Burren.
Awakened state?
"It's the stage right before that trance you fall into as easily as eating a meal. A state where concentration is at its absolute peak."
It does look similar, yeah.
There were times, after going without sleep for too long, when drowsiness would suddenly vanish and the mind would become extremely, unnaturally clear. Whether it was because of the brainwashing or this peculiar situation, Burren's current state was similar to that.
No reason not to use this.
Raon leveled his sword at Gelmier.
"Shall we begin."
He kicked off the ground hard and lunged forward.
"Fine. I'll start by cutting off that snout of yours!"
Gelmier steadied his breath and raised his aura. A massive yet razor-sharp wave of killing intent shot toward them, as if a spear were piercing their hearts.
Thud!
Raon pretended to charge at Gelmier, then stepped into the third form of the Supreme Harmony Footwork. He changed direction as smoothly as flowing water and kicked Dir, who was still standing in the doorway.
CRACK!
Dir, struck without warning, was slammed into the wall without even a chance to scream, and the sword in his hand clattered to the floor.
Tap!
Raon casually scooped up the sword and stepped back to Burren's side.
"To hand over a sword after already serving as a guide... what an idiot. A man who gives without holding back."
Hmm...
He almost said, Would you do any better? but held it in.
"Take it."
Raon held out the newly acquired sword to Burren and pointed at Olan.
"You can handle a guy like that, right?"
"Of course!"
Burren let out a ragged breath, stood, and clenched the sword tight. Fighting spirit overflowed from the eyes that locked onto Olan.
"Then let's begin."
Raon smiled faintly and stepped into the first form of the Supreme Harmony Footwork.
Thud!
Just as he bored into Gelmier's space and was about to raise his sword in a slash, a dizzying sensation bloomed above his head. Sword Ganggi. The energy Gelmier had manifested came crashing down as if to split his skull.
His power isn't fake.
The way he'd predicted the speed and direction of the Supreme Harmony Footwork and brought his sword down immediately lived up fully to the name of Gale Sword Gelmier that circulated through the world.
But.
Raon put force into his extended left foot and rotated his waist. Channeling the rotational force transmitted through his erector spinae into the blade, he unleashed the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames.
Saw-toothed flames spun along the blade, born of wrist, aura, and muscle turning as one.
KRRAAAANG!
The heat spinning like a saw from Raon's sword collided with the blue wind energy dwelling in Gelmier's thin blade, generating a massive shockwave. The impossibly solid walls of the secret chamber were torn to shreds.
"A bit cramped in here, don't you think?"
Raon stomped a true step and heaved the Heavenly Sky Sword—still locked with Gelmier's blade—upward with all his strength. The enormous force contained in the sword strike sent Gelmier shooting up through the hole in the ceiling.
"Y-you bastard!"
"I'll be right behind you. Wait for me."
Raon waved a hand at Gelmier hanging in midair, then turned around.
"Don't die. There are a lot of peo—people waiting for you."
For some reason, Raon slightly stumbled over the word people, then leaped up through the shattered ceiling after Gelmier.
"Don't worry."
Burren nodded, lips pressed tight.
"I have no intention of dying here."
"Hah..."
Olan let out a hollow breath and walked to the center of the chamber.
"Raon Zieghart truly lives up to his reputation. I can understand why young master Gelmier wanted to do something like this."
He looked up at the collapsed ceiling and slowly shook his head.
"Draw your sword."
Burren leveled his blade at Olan.
"A sword? What meaning does that have in a situation like this? Whether I win or lose, I'm going to die."
He raised both hands as if to say it was already over.
"When I said I could beat you earlier, you looked pretty pissed off. Or am I wrong?"
"Mm..."
"Before you go, I'll prove that I was right. Come at me."
"Unlike that monster who went upstairs, your provocations are genuinely terrible."
Olan let out a short laugh and drew his sword.
"I'm a dead man anyway. Taking a direct descendant of Zieghart with me wouldn't be so bad."
He kicked off the ground before the words had even finished leaving his mouth. In an instant he crashed in from the left and brought his sword down in a slash.
The silver blade traced a half-circle and multiplied into five. Fast, and dazzling. It was properly trained swordsmanship.
CLANG!
Burren raised the aura sleeping in his dantian at full force and struck out with his sword, but Olan's blade reversed that power and drove even faster toward the inside of his guard.
"I did tell you."
Olan snorted and lifted his chin.
"No matter how outstanding your talent, you cannot defeat the years. You have not yet reached my realm."
"Years? Realm? I've watched those things get shattered more times than I can count."
Burren clenched his molars and knocked the blade aside. An elegant, lofty sword strike—like a noble's dance—cut off Olan's momentum.
SCREEEEE!
Sword locked with sword in the middle, raising a bone-chilling shriek of steel.
I can't take this into a long fight.
He'd been bound for about a week and hadn't slept. Lasting any length of time was impossible. He had to shatter Olan's sword in a single blow.
WHOOOOM!
But Olan's blade kept pressing in endlessly, laden with dazzling variations and tremendous force. The targeted spots were hard to read, and the speed made it difficult even to block.
"Huu..."
Burren steadied his breath and recalled a conversation he'd once had with Raon.
"How do you deal with illusion swords and transforming swords? Simple. Most illusion swords and transforming swords reveal their true form at the last moment. Even if you're scared and impatient, hold out and wait—and the path of the attack will show itself."
That had been Raon's answer when Burren asked how he'd erased the variations of Garon, a Master.
He's always been like that.
Whenever you asked Raon a question about martial studies, he always came back with an answer. Other people tried to hide their secrets however they could, but he had none of that. If he couldn't give a proper answer that day, the strange bastard would come back the next day to tell you anyway.
How could I ever betray an idiot like that?
Burren bit his lip and stared down Olan's blade as it closed in on his neck and chest. He crushed the urge to retreat or knock the sword aside, and never took his eyes off it until the end.
WHOOOOM!
The instant before Olan's sword connected, the five blades merged into one and began to drop—not toward the neck, but toward the chest.
Now!
Gripping the hilt tight, Burren unfolded the Frostwind Sword.
Wind blades linked like a constellation, striking the instant the transforming sword revealed its true form.
The wind's edge, chained together like a constellation, knocked aside Olan's blade the moment its variations stopped—and buried itself in his shoulder.
"Khrrrk!"
Olan tried to fall back in shock, but that was the worst possible mistake. The true meaning of the Frostwind Sword was an offensive that continued endlessly, like the north wind itself.
SCREEEEE!
A blade laced with chilling wind ripped through his chest faster than he could retreat.
"Guh..."
Cut from shoulder to waist, Olan's jaw trembled, and he crumpled where he stood. He looked up at Burren with eyes that couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"H-how..."
"I used to say I'd spend my whole life looking at Raon's back, didn't I?"
Burren drove his sword into the ground and let out a weary breath.
"That was true. Standing in front of Raon would be hard for me. But I wasn't just staring at his back. I watched his fights from closer than anyone, and I built my own foundation from it."
He put force into the hand gripping the sword and smiled.
"I'm different from the likes of you, who try to kill him because you think you can't match him."
"Ah..."
"Don't think you'll get to die easy. Pay for every last one of your sins, then die."
Burren brought his fist down and knocked Olan unconscious, then stopped the man's bleeding.
"Haa..."
Strength drained from his entire body, and he dropped onto his backside. He let out a deep sigh and lifted his head.
"To think Wind Path Star Creation would be completed at a time like this..."
A hollow laugh escaped him at having used a form he'd never once succeeded with—in a situation like this, of all things.
"Hoo."
Burren looked up at the ceiling and clicked his tongue.
"I kept my promise."
"Looks like things are finished down below."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at Gelmier, their swords still locked.
"Time for us to start properly as well."
"I'll give you one last chance."
Gelmier twisted his thin blade upward and knocked Raon back, opening the distance.
"Leave. If you go now, all of this can still be buried."
"This situation can be buried, you say?"
Raon let out a short laugh as he listened to the shouts echoing down from the even more thoroughly shattered ceiling above.
"This is the Heavy Martial Palace. Even the Enforcement Division can't come here as they please."
"We came, though?"
"Do you think everyone else is a lunatic like you?!"
Gelmier bared his white teeth and twisted his face.
"I'll hand Burren over. If you let this pass quietly, as if nothing happened, I won't hold your crimes against you."
"Are you missing something up there? Or do you just not have one at all?"
Raon tapped his temple with a finger. The mockery—as if to ask whether Gelmier even had a brain—made the man's eyes go cold and hard.
"You're the ones who committed the crimes. I just came to pick up my subordinate."
"A man who's lost all sense of fear."
A frost-like aura slowly unfurled from Gelmier's entire body.
"Says the guy who kidnapped his own brother and tried to brainwash him because he was scared of a junior."
"What I feared was your future. The you of right now, I can kill whenever I please!"
The sharp energy radiating from him felt as if it would tear the skin right off. He was filthy, but he was unmistakably a Mid-rank Master.
"This is your last chance. Take everyone and withdraw. Live quietly, as if nothing happened."
"Sorry, but it's already too late."
Raon pointed upward and grinned.
"I called the Enforcement Division too. Don't you hear the whistles?"
He'd sent a letter to the Enforcement Division so they could arrive after the Light Wind Squad had brought down the Vanguard Squad. By now, the Enforcement Division's swordsmen would have stormed in.
"You really are insane."
Wrath let out a hollow breath as he watched Gelmier's face flush red, then go pale yellow.
"This King has never seen anyone toy with an opponent the way you do. Give This King a lecture. There's someone This King really wants to mock..."
Later.
Raon shoved aside Wrath, who promised to pay the lecture fee after the fact, and focused on Gelmier.
"Raon Zieghart!"
Gelmier could no longer contain his fury and stamped his foot. His face twisted like a demon's as he thrust the thin blade. A Ganggi-edged blade of wind reached Raon's heart in a split second.
Extreme speed. A perfectly precise strike. The power of it sent a chill racing down the spine.
"Hup."
Raon stepped his left foot forward and dropped his waist. He layered the energy of the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames—brushed through the Middle Dantian—atop the physical power drawn up from the tips of his toes.
KRRRANG!
The Heavenly Sky Sword, blazing with flame Ganggi, collided with Gelmier's extreme thrust.
KWAAAAAANG!
The Heavenly Sky Sword and the thin blade locked in the middle, and a storm of crimson heat-flame swallowed the underground space.
"I am a Mid-rank Master! A low-rank like you, I could at any time—"
"Low-rank, mid-rank, high-rank. That's the kind of thing you worry about when you're training."
Raon looked down at Gelmier, their foreheads nearly touching, and let a cold smile slip across his face.
"Once a fight has started, ranks don't matter. If you're a martial artist, speak with your sword."
He poured Silk-Reeling Force into the Ganggi of the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames. The storm of blazing heat that surged up along the blade scorched Gelmier's wind without mercy.
"So you've chosen the cup of punishment after all. Fine."
Gelmier aimed his thin blade at Raon's heart, murder filling his eyes.
"I'll start by cutting out that insolent tongue of yours."
The wind energy rising from him grew so fierce it rang in the skull. The full power of a Mid-rank Master. Having realized there was nowhere left to run, he had drawn out every last ounce of his strength.
"This should be a bit more fun now."
Crimson lightning flashed through Raon's eyes.
"Come at me."