Sparring with the Gold Masked Snake
Wrath let out a moan of pure delight as he ate the breakfast Merlin had brought.
"The menu is exactly what This King desired, and the taste is exquisite."
He was happily devouring shrimp pizza and pineapple pizza — rather heavy fare for breakfast — as if they were nothing more than morning rolls, a smug grin plastered across his face.
"Eat some of that ice cream as well. This King's mouth feels parched."
Wrath wriggled his fingers, pointing at the ice cup filled with ice cream.
"Hah..."
Raon sighed as he looked down at the cup of mint chocolate. She prepared all of this... What kind of stalker was she?
Merlin hadn't said a word about investigating what he normally ate, yet she'd brought shrimp pizza, pineapple pizza, and even mint chocolate ice cream for dessert. She was a more terrifying woman than he'd imagined — but there was another problem.
There's nothing here that I actually like.
Among all the dishes she'd brought, there wasn't a single thing he genuinely enjoyed. The shrimp pizza, the pineapple pizza, even the mint chocolate ice cream — none of it was food he liked. They were all favorites of this gluttonous Demon King.
Tsk.
With food sitting right in front of him, refusing would send Wrath into a frenzy. He had no choice but to eat.
"Ohohoho!"
The instant the mint chocolate touched Wrath's tongue, his eyes curved into crescent moons.
Was this thing really a Demon King...? If there were a Demon King who smiled like that over ice cream, a rebellion would be guaranteed. No matter how he looked at it, this creature was no Demon King.
"Hah."
Raon finished the mint chocolate and shook his head. He'd been eating it steadily because of Wrath, but no matter how he thought about it, it tasted terrible. He couldn't understand why Runaan or Wrath ate this stuff.
"That's because you grew up in comfort without a shred of hardship."
Wrath let out a deep sigh as he gazed at the thoroughly emptied ice cream cup.
"To This King, who has endured countless hardships, mint chocolate is nothing but sweet."
The words What a load of crap nearly burst out of his mouth, but he swallowed them. If only to avoid seeing that face, he needed to ask Merlin to change the menu.
"Hahh, this is wonderful. This place is truly heaven."
You shouldn't be here, then.
Raon stared at Wrath with an incredulous look, then stood up.
"Are you going to see the chef?"
Why would I do something like that?
"Then where are you going?"
If I keep this up, I'm going to get fat.
He rubbed his stomach. He'd been eating better here than he had at House Zieghart. If anyone saw him, they'd think he'd been on vacation, not kidnapped.
I'm going to get some exercise after the meal.
"Training even here? This is truly tedious."
Wrath waved a hand as if the whole thing were insufferable.
It's not training. There's something I can only do here.
Raon left the room. He passed through the bizarre corridor where doors appeared and vanished, then stepped outside. Walking to the edge of the branch, he raised his hand toward the wall.
A faint spark crackled, and the translucent barrier enveloping the branch revealed itself. The vast formation, inscribed with the sun, moon, and stars, radiated a lofty energy that seemed to declare no one would ever leave this place.
It's absurdly complex.
Judging by the various energies rising from the barrier, it was clearly a formation created jointly by a martial artist of Grandmaster rank or higher, a mage, a dark mage, and a shaman. It was far too difficult a barrier for him to break in his current state.
"You came to look at that? It's beyond the likes of you right now."
Wrath snorted, as if telling him to know his place.
I know. Better than anyone.
Raon chuckled and was examining the barrier when a chilly voice came from behind him.
"You'd better take your hand off that."
"Touch it again and I'll start by cutting off that hand."
Sensing a sharp killing intent, Raon turned around. A man wearing a horned snake helmet stood there with a swaggering air. The Soul-Severing Sword stood far behind, arms crossed, watching them.
"You'll cut off my arm? That sounds fine."
Raon smiled faintly and placed his hand on the wall again. A strong spark flared, and the barrier revealed itself even more clearly.
"Come at me."
"Huh..."
The man in the snake helmet let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Do you even know who I am?"
"A swordsman who inherited the power of a Basilisk, I assume."
Horned snake-type monsters weren't particularly common. It had to be a Basilisk — the giant serpent that lived in the desert and possessed the power of petrification.
"A Basilisk, huh..."
The man in the snake helmet smirked. It was a laugh that revealed nothing about whether Raon was right or wrong.
"Doesn't matter if you're a Basilisk or not. You'll be easier to deal with than that one."
Raon pointed at the Soul-Severing Sword behind him.
"So you were picking a fight on purpose."
The man in the snake helmet let out another hollow laugh and cocked his head.
"Don't tell me you..."
That's right.
Raon clenched his fist and smiled. I can't pass up a chance to fight Eden's blood fiends.
Both the man in the snake helmet and the Soul-Severing Sword behind him were martial artists stronger than himself. Right now, thanks to Merlin, those monsters couldn't kill him — making this the perfect opportunity to extract their martial knowledge.
"I was getting bored anyway. Perfect. Let's see what the continent's greatest genius, the Frost-Flower Sword Hero, can actually do."
The man in the snake helmet drew his sword. The blade was thicker than a typical sword, giving it the feel of a heavy weapon.
"Before you end up a helmet-wearing moron."
"A helmet-wearing moron, huh..."
Raon smiled faintly and gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Sky Sword.
"What's your name?"
"Call me Gold Masked Snake."
The man in the snake helmet announced his epithet and lowered his stance.
"Come at me with everything you've got."
"Sure. I'll come at you intending to take your head."
Gold Masked Snake charged without so much as a shout. His movement was fast yet fluid — truly the footwork of a snake. In an instant he crashed in from the left and brought his sword down, the tremendous Battle Qi imbued in the blade crashing toward Raon's head.
No feints.
Gold Masked Snake was bringing his sword down along the most direct path, the one that would generate the greatest force. The pressure was so overwhelming that a clumsy block would snap Raon's neck on the spot.
Raon circulated the Ring of Fire and drew the Heavenly Sky Sword. The draw itself became an attack, colliding head-on with Gold Masked Snake's blade.
A thunderous crash rang out. Even though he'd blocked it properly, his knees trembled and his shoulders sank under the weight of the blow. He's strong, just as I thought. The weight of that sword was on a completely different level from the 7th Apostle. As he'd expected from the start, Gold Masked Snake's realm had clearly surpassed Mid-rank Master.
An expert who had reached Upper Master. For a martial artist of this caliber to not even have a known name — Eden truly was a gathering of madmen.
Raon intercepted Gold Masked Snake's sword as it came racing in from the left. He bit down on his lip at the shock that traveled through his elbow. He's the perfect opponent. He'd already broken through the mid ranks, so of course the upper ranks were next.
Gold Masked Snake was the strongest enemy he'd faced so far, but he still fell short of the true monsters. Unless Raon could fight this man on even terms, escaping this place would be impossible.
He ignited Revolving Heaven of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation through the Heavenly Sky Sword. Just as the saw-toothed flames spun toward Gold Masked Snake's waist, the man's blade dropped downward. The crimson Battle Qi blazing along the edge hardened like stone, blocking every last spark of Revolving Heaven.
So it really is a Basilisk.
A Basilisk didn't merely inflict petrification on its enemies — it could also harden its own body to a density that even ganggi struggled to cut. Seeing him wield aura that solid, there was no doubt. This is going to be fun. The thought of shattering Battle Qi harder than steel already had his blood stirring.
"Not bad. But—"
Gold Masked Snake's pupils narrowed vertically like a serpent's, and the volume of his Battle Qi more than doubled. He lunged to the right and swept his sword across in a single stroke. Pressure like a collapsing mountain crushed down on Raon's entire body. His legs trembled as if paralyzed under the weight radiating from that Battle Qi. It was clearly a secret art.
"That's not the end already, is it?"
"Of course not. I haven't even started."
Raon smiled with genuine excitement and stepped through the Grand Flame Five Steps. With footfalls that made the earth rumble, he poured the principles of Hard Sword into the silver-white blade.
Hard Sword met Hard Sword, and the shockwave that exploded from the collision tore violently through the surroundings.
"Let's make this more interesting!"
Killing intent began to gather in Gold Masked Snake's eyes. He charged head-on in a single burst and unleashed a strike. The thunderbolt of Battle Qi falling in a straight line twisted slightly, sealing off any space to dodge. So he still has room to spare.
Raon chuckled as he faced the tremendous sword strike Gold Masked Snake had generated. Seeing the Battle Qi grow even stronger, it was clear the man still wasn't fighting at full power. I'll draw more out of him.
He adjusted his grip on the Heavenly Sky Sword and ran straight into the incoming strike. Flames of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, laden with crushing weight, collided head-on with Gold Masked Snake's sword once more.
A massive impact erupted — powerful enough to crater the barrier-protected earth — and both Raon and Gold Masked Snake were driven back five steps.
"Nngh..."
Gold Masked Snake narrowed his eyes and looked down at Raon.
"What did you just do? Your sword suddenly got heavier."
"I told you. I haven't even started yet."
Raon calmed the churning in his gut with the Ring of Fire and smiled. Gold Masked Snake was two stages above him, that much was true — but Raon had the stats and traits he'd received from Wrath. Even if he was being pushed back, he wouldn't simply be overwhelmed.
"Interesting."
Gold Masked Snake laughed coldly and kicked off the ground. He closed in as smoothly as a snake racing across the desert and poured out sword strikes. A single swing generated five waves of force that engulfed every direction. I can't dodge this.
Raon clicked his tongue and raised the Flame Bead Wall of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation — Hundred Flowers. The flaming shield blazing from the Heavenly Sky Sword collided diagonally with the Battle Qi Gold Masked Snake brought down.
An overwhelming shock hit him — Gold Masked Snake had put his full strength into it, enough to buckle Raon's lower body. His entire frame trembled from the blocking hand all the way to his shoulder, and a searing pain like molten lava tore through the center of his chest. There's a clear difference.
Reaching the peak of the mid ranks and actually arriving at the upper ranks were two entirely different things. Gold Masked Snake had perfectly comprehended his own sword and was unleashing power worthy of that comprehension.
"Let your guard down and you'll lose your head. This isn't over yet!"
Gold Masked Snake punched through the shockwave and charged. He slipped inside in an instant and threw a punch loaded with enough Battle Qi to shatter bone if it landed cleanly. Raon twisted his elbow and knocked the fist aside.
"Not bad!"
Raon closed in on the admiring man and thrust the Heavenly Sky Sword. The formulas of the Mad Fang Sword imbued in the silver blade bared savage fangs.
"Hmph!"
Gold Masked Snake twisted his body like a snake fleeing its natural predator, deflected the Mad Fang Sword, then swept his blade upward from below. The rising strike was even faster than the one that had come down — a crimson thunderbolt shooting toward the sky.
Raon's eyes flashed a piercing blue. In that fleeting instant, his aura converted. The frost of Glacia settled along the edge of the Heavenly Sky Sword. The blade of the Frost Lotus struck the gap in the Battle Qi, and the blue wave that followed lunged for Gold Masked Snake's throat.
"Twice, huh."
Gold Masked Snake grinned and stamped his foot. Tremendous Battle Qi blazed across his entire body, enduring the Frost Lotus's cold head-on. It hadn't been painless — a single drop of blood trickled from his lip.
"A blade of frost that follows the sword, is it."
He smiled as if he liked what he saw and raised his sword. Battle Qi spread in a rounded surge like a falling log, sweeping everything in front of him.
"Hoo."
Raon bit his lip and carved downward with the Mad Fang Sword. This one's going to hurt. Judging by the volume of Battle Qi pouring down, it wasn't a strike he could easily withstand. He condensed his ganggi to the utmost and met it head-on.
Sword crashed against sword. Raon staggered back ten steps; Gold Masked Snake retreated only six. He's right. This was fun.
Raon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled, exhilarated. The essence of Gold Masked Snake's swordsmanship was firmness and softness. Harder than iron, yet carrying the slithering nature of a snake — it was endlessly troublesome. I'm glad I faced him in advance.
If he'd first clashed with Gold Masked Snake while trying to escape this place, he would have suffered a disastrous loss. Fighting the man now had been an excellent decision. Because I have the Ring of Fire. By circulating it from the very start, he'd already grown somewhat familiar with the man's swordsmanship. The next time they fought, he wouldn't be pushed back this easily. And now... it was time to look beyond mere swordsmanship.
The secret among secrets. It was time to see the real techniques Gold Masked Snake possessed.
"You're a sturdy little bastard!"
Gold Masked Snake closed in and swung. A strike dropping along a diagonal — swordsmanship Raon had already seen once. He roughly deflected it with the Mad Fang Sword, then drew the Heavenly Sky Sword back. Amplifying the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation he'd gathered, he thrust it forward.
The roar of a fire dragon, strengthened further still by the absorbed Soul-Confusing Water, erupted straight toward Gold Masked Snake.
"This is..."
Gold Masked Snake clenched his sword tight. Unlike before, his eyes were deadly serious as he held his wrist perfectly straight and carved his blade downward. The Battle Qi imbued in the sword spread in a fan shape, radiating a steadfast light — as if a colossal mountain had been raised on the spot.
The fire dragon striving to ascend collided with the great mountain standing beneath the heavens, and the earth caved in. A monstrous explosion erupted, and black geysers of ganggi shot up all around them.
Raon activated the Demonic Eye of Wrath, capturing the flow of sword against sword unfolding within the heart of the blast. He stacked Battle Qi on top of Battle Qi, layering it continuously. Gold Masked Snake's strike — on a completely different level from everything before — derived its power from forming Battle Qi into planes and stacking those planes atop one another. Even after using Flame Dragon Form, the shock felt like it would dislocate his shoulder. The martial force was staggering. Shall I draw a little more out of him?
Raon raised the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to its extreme and drove his foot into the earth. He unleashed Great Apex, the heaviest strike among the Mad Fang Sword, and wound the principles of Heavy Sword around it to their utmost limit. A sword strike of weight stacked upon weight came crashing down as if to shatter Gold Masked Snake's skull.
"Good. Come."
Gold Masked Snake rolled his shoulders. The movement was as rough as a stone statue coming to life, but the Battle Qi within it transcended even the previous strike. This, too, was clearly one of his secret arts. A terrifying mass of Battle Qi surged upward from below in a scarlet flash.
The impact spread far enough to shake the barrier saturating the ground, and every last one of Eden's ghosts in the vicinity was blown away.
"You can still go further, can't you?"
Gold Masked Snake gripped his sword with both hands. A sphere of condensed Battle Qi bloomed along the blade, swelling larger and larger until it filled the air.
"Don't worry. As long as you don't die, Merlin will patch you up."
"Is that about you, or me?"
Raon laughed coldly and thrust his sword forward. A tremendous current of energy surged along the silver blade, generating a crimson sphere of its own.
Though smaller than the sphere of Battle Qi blooming from Gold Masked Snake's sword, the more densely compressed force ignited a thick lightning in the air.
"Let's take this all the way!"
Just as Gold Masked Snake and Raon were about to pour their strikes into each other at the same time, a black flash laced with the aura of death came crashing down between them.
The fiercely rotating black energy absorbed both of their secret arts by itself and did not so much as tremble. As the dark light scattered, the figure of the Soul-Severing Sword was revealed, his black greatsword lowered. He tilted his chin slightly, as if to say that was enough.
"Sprinkling pepper on a finished dish, huh."
Gold Masked Snake clicked his tongue at the Soul-Severing Sword.
"You're no fun at all, you know that?"
He frowned and lowered his sword.
"Hmph."
Raon smacked his lips briefly and sheathed the Heavenly Sky Sword.
"Let's save the rest for next time. If we go any further without this guy leaving, Merlin's going to lose it."
Gold Masked Snake spun a hand in a lazy circle and vanished the same way he'd first appeared. The casual way he mentioned Merlin made it hard to tell whether they were of similar rank or he was simply that reckless.
The Soul-Severing Sword had already put away his black greatsword and was looking this way. His gaze held not a shred of emotion, exactly as it had yesterday.
"If I defeat that man, may I challenge you?"
He neither answered nor showed any change in his eyes. He simply continued to stare.
"I'll take that as permission."
Raon smiled faintly and waved a hand.
"I'll see you next time."
I'm starting to like this place more and more.
They gave him elixirs, and sparring partners even came looking for him on their own. Wrath's claim that this was heaven wasn't an exaggeration.
Raon entered the great hall with a faint smile. The Soul-Severing Sword watched him go the entire way, his right shoulder turned ever so slightly.
"Haa."
Merlin let out a short sigh as she applied medicine to his shoulders and waist.
"You can't sit still for even a moment. You really are a troublemaker."
She shook her head and gave a helpless laugh.
"You're the first person who's ever picked a fight with Gold Masked Snake and asked him to spar. Everyone was shocked, you know."
"I wanted to see how strong he was for myself."
Raon rolled his neck lightly and lowered his eyes. Deception was impossible anyway, so he spoke honestly.
"Martial artists..."
Merlin finished applying the medicine and stepped slightly to the side. The medicine was remarkably effective — the bones and muscles that had taken the worst of the impact already felt cool and soothed.
"The internal injuries can be handled with an elixir, I assume?"
She sighed and set a box on the table — identical to the elixir box she'd brought yesterday.
"You said your head felt foggy, so I adjusted the ratio. It should be much milder than yesterday."
Raon opened the box. A cold energy, slightly gentler than the day before, tickled the tip of his nose. She adjusted it, all right. She'd added more Soul-Confusing Water.
Judging by the composition, she'd lowered the frost and increased the amount of Soul-Confusing Water. Combined with yesterday's dose, the quantity today would leave him so mentally hazy he wouldn't even be able to register the feeling of being foggy.
"And."
Merlin extended her right hand. A blue light bloomed above her pale fingers, and a helmet rose into the air. Two horns, diamond-shaped blade-like scales, and a sky-blue mane flowing from the back — it was a form he could not possibly fail to recognize.
"The Dragon's Helmet..."