Chapter 634

“How? Just how?”

The thing using Rimmer’s appearance didn’t scream even though its wrist had been smashed. It kept repeating the word ‘how’ and moving its leaf-colored eyes.

Raon’s brow furrowed deeply as he observed it.

‘Whatever it is, it isn’t human.’

Even if they were trained with pain resistance, people were bound to twitch their forearms and shoulders if their wrists were broken. However, the thing in front of him showed no reaction at all, as if its sense of pain were gone. It was either an illusion created with the boundary or a special monster.

“How?!” the monster using Rimmer’s appearance shouted, trying to remove its wrist from Raon’s hand.

Raon didn’t want to let it go, but the wrist turned into wriggling liquid, making it impossible to keep holding it.

“Hey, what are you?” Raon bit his lip while looking at his empty hand.

“Me?” the monster using Rimmer’s appearance viscously transformed its hand like mud and unsheathed its two swords.

“Those swords…”

There was no way he wouldn’t recognize them. It was holding Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem.

“I am Raon Zieghart.”

Raon gasped at the ridiculous sight, and it charged at him while lifting Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem.

Cring!

A crimson line of heat emerged from Heavenly Drive’s blade, wielded by the monster using Rimmer’s appearance.

“What the hell?!” Raon widened his eyes and stepped back.

‘Crimson Slash?’

A sharp line of heat passed through the space he’d dodged from. The snow in the air evaporated in an instant and scattered the water.

Raon swallowed nervously. It was a real deal. The sword technique the monster had used was genuinely the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s Crimson Slash, the one that he often used. It should have been impossible, as he was the only one on the continent who’d learned the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

Thud!

The monster stepped forward with its left foot, intending to follow as much as Raon had backed off. Even that step was familiar.

‘Supreme Harmony Steps…’

He slashed down with Heavenly Drive to the left while executing the Supreme Harmony Steps. The strike looked like a savage beast gnawing at its prey’s neck. It was the Fangs of Insanity.

Claang!

Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and stabbed it with his Blizzard Sword Art at the same time. The cold blade capable of severing the flow of the attack twisted the Fangs of Insanity’s balance.

“Kuhuhu.”

The monster using his sword technique and Rimmer’s appearance curled its lips into a deep smile even though it was pushed back.

“Just what are you…?”

“I am Raon Zieghart,” he sneered and pierced the sky with the fake Heavenly Drive.

The cold blade capable of cutting off the flow of a sword strike twisted the Fangs of Insanity’s flow. Red flower buds slowly appeared from its silver blade. Thousands of flame pieces spread through the wind and enveloped the snow field.

“Flame Spirit…”

Crimson Slash, Supreme Harmony Steps, Fangs of Insanity, and now the Flame Spirit.

The monster had perfectly mimicked the Flame Spirit, which could be called the most difficult sword skill Raon knew in terms of technique. Both the output and form weren’t lacking at all.

“This is insane… Hmm?”

Raon gasped at the scene and suddenly lowered his eyebrows. A gray horn similar to a shark fin grew on its forehead while it was spreading the Flame Spirit around.

‘A horn? Wait, that color…’

He’d never seen that horn before, but he’d seen that cloudy gray color.

‘A doppelganger.’

It was the exact same color as the doppelganger’s skin in its original appearance, back when it tried to kidnap Yua at Habun Castle.

‘Considering the fact that it is copying my sword techniques, it’s definitely a doppelganger. Moreover, it’s a lord.’

Unlike other doppelgangers, which obtained the ability of a person by devouring them, the doppelganger lord could copy the ability of a person they encountered without needing anything else.

However, he’d heard that even a lord had its limits when it came to copying abilities, but it was as powerful as Raon himself—probably because of the characteristic of the place they were in.

Did you finally realize it?

Wrath snorted at how pathetic he was.

That copycat will keep copying your skills. Get rid of it already since it’s annoying.

‘Hmm…’

Raon narrowed his eyes while removing the doppelganger lord’s Flame Spirit with the real Flame Spirit.

‘But this is a bit strange.’

Doppelgangers usually took on the same appearance as the opponent instead of another person and picked a one-on-one duel. That was the reason the rumor about dying upon encountering a doppelganger had spread.

However, the doppelganger lord had shown up with Rimmer’s appearance instead of his own, and it only started to use his techniques after going for a surprise attack. It wasn’t an ordinary situation.

‘Which means, this must be another one… of Derus Robert’s manipulations.’

“I’m Raon Zieghart!”

The doppelganger lord shouted loudly and stabbed at him with the fake Heavenly Drive. The blade flew at him like an arrow, then spread around like a mirage to pressure the vitals all around his body. It was the Thirty-Six Crimson Slash.

Whir!

Raon clenched his back teeth while creating a Firewall with Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem.

‘What a smart move.’

Derus had manipulated the space that was designed to involve a duel against the doppelganger into a malicious place where the doppelganger started a surprise attack with a companion’s appearance.

People were bound to strengthen their bonds by fighting together from the first to the third floor while fighting alongside their companions, just to be stabbed in the back with a companion’s face on the fourth floor. He was seriously the best when it came to being evil.

If the doppelganger had been better at pretending to be Rimmer, even Raon himself would’ve been deceived.

Then what about the King of Essence’s subordinates?!

Wrath jolted, finally remembering about them.

Ice Cream Girl! Beef Girl! Pineapple Girl! The King of Essence’s wallet! They are all in danger!

‘I think they should be fine. After all, the doppelganger should be bad at acting, just like this one.’

A doppelganger could only act like a human perfectly after devouring that human in question. Since the ones on the fourth floor had to copy a companion with only a fragment of their memory, their acting was slightly flawed.

The fact that the doppelganger lord was worried about the Light Wind Division while using Rimmer’s appearance was proof.

Others could be deceived, but it shouldn’t have worked against the Light Wind Division easily since they were trained to be cautious about each other ever since the training in the North Grave Mountain.

“Kieeeh!”

The doppelganger thrust the sword it had pulled back. A huge flame stormed around the blade, taking the shape of a dragon.

“Is it the Flame Dragon Art now?”

Raon furrowed his brow and was about to dodge.

Rumble!

He could see the rotating flame. The storm of fire looked slow for some reason. Raon had the feeling that the power and speed could be enhanced if he could make the flames move a bit faster.

Whir!

He dodged the Flame Dragon Art with Supreme Harmony Steps, and the doppelganger lord followed up, executing the Frost Pond. The blade of frost followed up the real blade, targeting his neck like a shadow.

‘It’s following up too quickly.’

He realized that the second blade of frost was following up the real blade too quickly. He figured it would be more difficult to deal with if he increased the time gap between them.

‘Now that I think about it… Isn’t this my first time seeing my own sword technique like this?’

The doppelganger he’d encountered in Habun Castle hadn’t tried to copy his sword techniques, it had simply assaulted him with tremendous power. That was why he had never seen his own swordsmanship from an opponent’s perspective. It was an extremely helpful experience.

‘This is pretty good.’

Raon curved his lips into a faint smile and weakly gripped Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem.

‘I found a new training ground.’

Training round? What the hell?!

Wrath furrowed his brow while watching Raon’s reaction.

Defeat it quickly and leave, you nutcase celestial!

* * *

“But why…?” Delpros gritted his teeth while watching Raon’s battle against the doppelganger lord. “Why does even the surprise attack fail against him?!”

He clutched his head while shouting that he couldn’t understand.

“I-I’m sorry.” The Shadowed Serpent Division leader lowered his trembling head.

“It’s not for you to apologize.” Delpros bit his lip to the point of bleeding. “It would’ve been the same even if I did it myself.”

He clenched his fist while glaring at Raon inside the crystal ball.

“It’s all his fault.”

He could laugh off how he was training the swordsmen on the first floor as if he were in a playground. He could also accept the fact that he’d defeated the phoenix on the second floor without much difficulty.

However, he kept reviving the phoenix as much as he wanted after that, turning it into his subordinate. He opened a secret passage in the third floor’s labyrinth and even killed the Snow Wraith Duchess at the end of it.

‘Yes, the Snow Wraith Duchess… I can’t understand how he did that, even when I think about it again.’

It was a single strike.

Raon Zieghart had been looking for an opportunity by focusing on evasion and had stabbed the life out of her in a single strike.

He was so dumbfounded when he’d witnessed that scene that he couldn’t even speak for a while.

‘Because the Snow Wraith Duchess was supposed to be more powerful.’

Raon was also a Grandmaster, but since the Snow Wraith Duchess had much more aura and experience than him, he’d believed that she would obviously win.

He still couldn’t believe the fact that a monster like that had perished in a single counterattack.

‘And even on the fourth floor… the surprise attack didn’t work against him.’

The plan for the fourth floor was perfect.

They’d been fighting alongside their companions and were suddenly separated. If a reliable companion appeared when the open field was making them anxious, anyone would let their guard down as a result.

However, Raon noticed the doppelganger lord’s surprise attack and even counterattacked after fending off the attack. He almost wanted to believe he was dreaming.

‘Is he just lucky? No, it’s definitely not because of that.’

Raon could’ve been considered lucky if it only happened once or twice, but since he’d done so many surprising things, he had to reluctantly admit it was his skill.

“In the end, we need to finish him off on the last floor…”

“It’s not over yet.” The Shadowed Serpent Division leader raised his gaze.

“I understand that you want to rely on the doppelganger, but even a doppelganger lord can’t win against a Grandmaster.” Delpros briefly clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“I’ve enhanced the boundary in that space.”

The Shadowed Serpent Division leader grasped the back of his hand while looking into the crystal ball. The deep wrinkles on the back of his hand made it look like he’d suddenly gotten ten years older.

“What?”

“I’ve changed the formula so that the doppelganger lord can use even more power than what it has.” The Shadowed Serpent Division leader’s eyes were blazing intensely. “Raon Zieghart will have to fight his own self, one that gets gradually stronger as time passes.”

* * *

Heavenly Drive and Heavenly Drive clashed against each other, their blades turned red as if they were diffracting the sunlight.

Claang!

A huge flame covered the sky and the land like an erupting volcano. The snow covering the world melted down, and the gray land was bared.

Raon advanced, crushing the land where the snow was thinned. He thrust Heavenly Drive toward the doppelganger lord, who was using his sword techniques and Rimmer’s appearance.

Thud!

The doppelganger lord executed the exact same technique with the same posture as Raon, as if it was waiting for him to do so.

Crack!

The flame bursting from the space in between the edges formed a small circle like a bead and exploded at once.

It was the second form of Raon Zieghart’s swordplay, the Heavenly Heavy Cannon.

A huge shockwave spread around in all directions, and caused a phenomenon that made it look like the snow had stopped for a moment.

Crack!

After Raon and the doppelganger lord took a step back each, they executed the Supreme Harmony’s Second Step and thrust their swords toward each other’s hearts.

Frost Pond, Blue Rain, Blood Rain, Sword’s Silvery Dream, and even the Azure Sky Sword. Raon and the doppelganger lord tried to kill each other with the exact same techniques.

The space seemed indestructible, but fissures started to appear at some point and craters were made on the ground.

Raon twisted his lips while watching his own sword technique performed by the doppelganger lord.

‘It’s getting stronger and stronger.’

The doppelganger lord’s sword techniques were getting stronger and faster. He was starting to feel that he was losing in terms of output.

‘However… That doesn’t change anything.’

After all, he had changed too much compared to when he’d learned and created those techniques. The doppelganger lord’s techniques were more powerful, but it didn’t have the enlightenment that he’d recently realized.

The one who could take a step forward wasn’t the monster with a larger amount of aura but Raon, who had gained more experience and contemplation.

‘I could fully realize that fact thanks to it.’

Watching the doppelganger lord’s sword technique allowed him to meet a deficient version of himself, one who was still swinging the sword the same way as before despite the increased realm of martial arts.

‘I realized it’s deficient because I created those techniques with the insight I had at the moment without making any precepts.’

He had pretty much been wearing children’s clothes with an adult body. He had gained another small enlightenment about how he needed to proceed in the future.

‘I’m lucky to meet it here. No, it was probably bound to happen.’

The fourth floor seemed to be designed to make a person take a look at oneself by using the doppelganger. Since it was a training ground created by Zieghart’s ancestor, it wasn’t a coincidence or luck.

“I am Raon Zieghart, I am!”

The doppelganger roared and slammed the two swords onto the ground. The fake Heavenly Drive and Blade of Requiem emanated a powerful light, drawing a sun and a moon in the sky.

Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the sun and the moon seeping into the white sky and the divine and demonic swords the doppelganger lord was holding.

“Sword Field Creation…?”

‘Is this even possible?’

Even for a doppelganger lord, it was completely unexpected that it could use the Sword Field Creation. The emotion of surprise filled his mind for the first time since he’d entered the grave.

“Kieeh!”

The doppelganger, who even managed to activate the Sword Field Creation, dashed at him while shrieking. The wave of energy emanating from the divine and demonic swords was piercing into the Black Dragon Coat.

Even though it was far away, Raon felt a tingling pain on the skin.

Cring!

Raon unleashed the Firewall and Frost Pond, incorporating coldness and heat into Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem.

Claaang!

The impact was tremendous, as expected from the divine and demonic swords. He felt like his shoulders were going to be dislocated.

“Kieeeh!”

The doppelganger kept slashing down with the divine and demonic swords one after the other, showing its intention to keep its upper hand. It was using a proper sword technique instead of rashly spreading its power. Raon felt like he was facing a highly advanced warrior.

Creak!

Raon narrowed his eyes while unleashing Blue Rain with Heavenly Drive and the Sword’s Silvery Dream with the Blade of Requiem.

‘Have my enemies been fighting against a monster like that?’

The tremendous amount of power and endless heat and coldness were connected through a profound sword technique. It was him, but it was definitely a frightening sight.

‘However… The lacking part of me is still there.’

Raon had believed that his Sword Field Creation was complete up until that point. Unlike when he was a Master, he thought it gained the balance it needed when he became a Grandmaster.

But that wasn’t the case.

Observing it after taking another step from Grandmaster allowed him to realize that it was still insufficient in so many ways.

It could be a good idea to make some difference between the divine and demonic swords instead of keeping the balance, and it could also be nice to reduce the area of the sword field during a duel to maximize the output.

The more he crossed swords with the doppelganger, the more he could see the path he needed to take in the future. He couldn’t be satisfied with anything he had at the moment.

Rumble!

The doppelganger lord took a step back. It lifted the divine sword above its right shoulder while pulling the demonic sword behind its left waist.

Dazzling light spread in all directions from the two swords, making it difficult to open the eyes.

‘The Red-Blue Invincible Sword!’

The Divine and Demonic Harmony’s combination technique and the strongest sword skill he could use at the moment burst from the doppelganger lord’s hands.

“Kieeeh!”

The doppelganger lord let out the loudest roar so far.

It dashed without consideration for the aftermath, asking for a final clash. Its approach alone caused an intense pain that made it feel like his muscles were being ruptured and his skin was melting. It was definitely his strongest technique, the Red-Blue Invincible Sword.

The blades of flame and frost, amplified with no limits, were falling toward him. It almost looked like the red sun and the blue moon were devouring the sky.

‘I can’t defend against it no matter what I do… or so I would’ve thought in the past.’

He had created the Divine and Demonic Harmony when he was a Master. It was further empowered after he’d become a Grandmaster, but he could feel that it was still not enough.

‘I guess I need to destroy my past self in order to climb higher. Bring it on.’

Raon stomped the ground heavily. He spread the rebound rising from his ankle to all around his body.

The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s heat and Glacier’s coldness dashed through his expanding mana circuits. The flame and frost blazed while stimulating each other and created lightning on Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem’s edges.

Change was scary, but he wouldn’t be able to achieve anything if he didn’t advance.

Raon looked at the sky behind the flame and the frost. It was a noble sky, one whose endless height no one could reach. Raon imagined the best thing he could do while looking at his goal.

Azure Sky Sword

Immutable Form of Infinite Transformation.

Nothing can reach the sky that changes endlessly.

Craack!

The wave of flame unleashed by the divine sword and the glacier mountain erected by the demonic sword was cut down altogether. All that remained was the sky. It was the ever-changing azure sky that never changed at the same time.

“You… changed?”

The doppelganger lord let out an eerie laugh, realizing that Raon was different from itself. It disappeared into the light of flame and frost with a satisfied smile on its face.

Whoosh!

The snow stopped falling from the sky. The snowfield disappeared, and a dark passage opened up. It was connected to the next floor.

‘I fully understand now.’

Raon bit his lip while looking at his trembling hands.

‘This space was created by Zieghart’s ancestor for the sake of his descendants.’

It wasn’t created for a single person. It was a training ground made for everyone.

The first floor enhanced stamina and willpower by fighting monsters and avoiding traps. The second floor hardened the bond between companions by fighting a single powerful opponent together. The third floor was probably designed to improve judgment, insight, and cooperation, even though he couldn’t tell for sure because he’d quickly skipped it.

The fourth floor that he’d just passed allowed him to check his own ability by fighting against himself, and it was designed to improve the mental world for those who’d achieved the Sword Field.

Every single floor was designed to improve the warrior’s abilities with kindhearted intentions.

However, Derus had changed the land filled with an ancestor’s consideration into a deadly hell. His habit of mocking people’s lives hadn’t changed at all.

‘Derus Robert.’

Raon bit his lip and looked at the hole that led to the next floor, which was probably the last one.

‘I’m pretty sure you aren’t here.’

Since Derus Robert was extremely cautious, he was most certainly not present himself. However, the plan he’d devised was perfectly apparent in the grave.

Raon resolved to shatter his plan for the sake of Zieghart’s ancestor, who had helped him in so many ways.

He twisted his lips while jumping into the dark hole.

‘I’ll deny everything about you in Zieghart’s name.’

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]