Chapter 652

Glenn clenched his fist, watching Sylvia collapse with a smile on her face. He felt as if he wouldn’t be able to control his emotions if he didn’t clench his hand.

‘Sylvia…’

She was his youngest daughter, the one who should’ve gotten the most out of life, but she was even more ignored and neglected than a stranger.

He looked for Sylvia when he finally managed to escape his darkness, but she had already left the house, her energy center shut down.

He sent the Heavenly Blade Division after her, but it was already too late.

Even though he couldn’t control himself because he was possessed by the demon, it was still a sin that couldn’t be forgiven.

Once Sylvia returned with a child in her womb, she begged for her life to be spared, her eyes reflecting a silent wish to die instead.

Glenn wanted to be the one begging instead. He wanted to kneel in front of her, begging for forgiveness for being such an unworthy father. However, he couldn’t speak at all. It was as if his throat was blocked once he saw Sylvia’s eyes, which were reflecting a strong veil, suppressing her sadness for the sake of her son.

He wasn’t even entitled to beg for mercy from the child. He resolved himself instead. Even though he couldn’t openly look after him, he decided to protect him from the shadows until the last moment.

However, his youngest daughter, who was extremely tender and weak in his memory, had changed.

In order to protect her family, and to defeat the malice approaching her family, Sylvia burnt herself. Her determination to protect her family became her will, dwelling in her sword despite being a Master. She shouldn’t be aware of it herself, but she’d cracked the Grandmaster’s wall during the battle.

‘You’ve been filled with so much regret.’

The reason Sylvia fought so desperately wasn’t simply because of the vice head of the elders. It was because she was thinking about the husband and daughter that she was unable to protect that she could move her body until she fainted.

Glenn bit his lip lightly.

‘That is my sin.’

He had never even seen the face of his son-in-law, and he wasn’t even aware that he had a granddaughter. Even though he should’ve been capable of protecting them—or rather, he should’ve been able to avoid getting Sylvia driven away from the house—he hadn’t managed to protect a single thing.

Yet Sylvia was carrying the sin that should’ve been his.

She swung her sword until the very end with her own strength, showing her determination to never experience the same thing again.

Because of the irremovable scar she bore, he resolved to protect his youngest daughter until the very end, yet she had become a strong mother, even more powerful than himself.

‘That’s…’

Glenn slowly closed his eyes before opening them again. He pressed down his lips, watching Raon nurse Sylvia.

‘All thanks to you… No, it’s both of you.’

Sylvia was able to become stronger thanks to Raon’s existence, and Raon managed to get stronger because Sylvia kept him grounded. The mother and son were influencing each other like water and trees.

“H-how is this even possible?”

While Glenn was proudly looking at both Raon and Sylvia, Balder stood up from his seat, his hand trembling in shock.

“How did a Master gain the upper hand against a Grandmaster?!” Balder gasped, expressing his disbelief at the situation.

“That martial art they called the Spiral Light Style…” Denier stroked his chin, gazing down at Sylvia and Raon. “It’s a hard counter to the Sword of Ten Forms, the vice head’s technique.”

He narrowed his eyes as if he were analyzing something.

“Hard to counter? Now that you mention it, what the hell is the Spiral Light Style?!” Balder turned his head around, asking if anyone had heard about the Spiral Light Style.

“Raon must’ve created it.” Aries smiled, pushing her disheveled hair backward.

“He created it?”

“Yes. Raon obtained the Sword of Ten Forms by using his wish. He created a hard counter to it based on that.”

“I-is that even possible?” Balder kept stuttering in disbelief.

“It’s normally impossible. However…” Sheryl shook her head with her lips curved into a smile. “It’s possible for him. He’s Raon Zieghart.”

“She is absolutely right.” Roenn unclasped his hands from behind his back with a gentle laugh. “Because Young Master Raon sees the world differently from us.”

Glenn nodded his head, listening to Sheryl and Roenn.

‘Yes, it’s possible for Raon.’

As Aries had claimed, it was almost cruel how Raon had dismantled the Sword of Ten Forms to create a hard counter to it.

The martial art called the Spiral Light Style was an advanced martial art that didn’t really have any weakness as it was, but it could become multiple times stronger against the Sword of Ten Forms, like a cat facing a mouse.

Even though Sylvia had as much aura as a Grandmaster, the only reason why she managed to last until the end was because the Spiral Light Style’s flow was devouring the Sword of Ten Forms.

“Raon warned everyone here by showing them the Spiral Light Style.” Aries licked her lips while looking at Raon.

“A warning?” Balder tilted his head, wondering what she meant.

“He showed everyone how they will end up if they offend the annex building using Sylvia’s battle.”

As Aries said, the spectators were still quiet. They were simply staring with dropped jaws, too surprised by Sylvia.

“Sh-should I try asking him to make a martial art for me?” Balder licked his lips. It was as if he had forgotten his relationship with Raon.

“There’s no way he’d do it for you!” Aries smacked Balder’s head with her palm.

Glenn ignored the argument between Aries and Balder and looked at Raon.

‘Aries is right.’

Raon was warning everyone in the area. He’d shown them through Sylvia instead of himself what was going to happen if they offended the annex building. Because of Sylvia, who’d rampaged like crazy while covered in blood, no one was going to try harming the annex building anymore.

‘You are doing all the work that I should’ve been doing.’

Glenn watched Raon with a peaceful smile on his face, which was rare coming from him.

‘Thank you.’

* * *

The spectators started to blink very slowly.

“…Is that really Sylvia?”

“Sh-she’s become a completely different person.”

“I-It was terrifying. It felt like I was watching a fight to the death, not just a sparring match.”

People’s eyes trembled as they watched Sylvia, who was unconscious with a smile on her face.

“But she’s smiling. She looked like a saintess in that aspect!”

“That’s even scarier…”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to meet Sylvia’s eyes in the future.”

“Blood, affection, and madness. The Sword of Frenzied Blood Affection…”

Sylvia’s new name was born through someone’s mouth.

“Spiral Light Style… she said it’s the annex building’s martial art, didn’t she?”

“Does that mean that they are going to teach that monstrous martial art to everyone in the annex building?”

“I guess so.”

“Whoa, I shouldn’t even go close to the annex building in the future.”

“That’s even more reason to stay close to them! You never know, you might be able to get some crumbs!”

“Regardless of the case, I don’t want them as enemies. I’m even more afraid of Sylvia than the Light Wind Division leader at this point…”

The spectators only talked about Sylvia’s madness and swordsmanship, not mentioning the vice head of the elders, who was the winner, even once.

The Spiral Light Style, the annex building’s martial art, spread to everyone’s mouths as an object of fear.

So this is the result you were trying to achieve.

Wrath nodded, watching the people who were only talking about Sylvia, the Spiral Light Style, and the annex building.

‘Yes.’

Raon wiped the blood from Sylvia’s hair with a faint smile on his face.

‘I wanted my mother to show everyone instead of doing it myself. I wanted them to know what kind of place the annex building is.’

Sylvia wasn’t fighting for vengeance against the vice head of the elders but to show people what kind of place the annex building was. Thanks to her fighting until she fainted, no one would dare harm the annex building anymore.

The King of Essence wanted to stop her so many times, but…

Wrath calmly looked at Sylvia.

It was a battle that she had to fight until the very end, and she managed to get a result. It was a nice sight to behold.

His lips curved into a satisfied smile.

Mom! Good job!

Wrath wagged his tail, patting Sylvia’s head with his plump hand.

‘She’s not your mom.’

While Raon was pushing Wrath away, the maids came over from the spectator seats.

“M-ma’am!”

“Are you okay?”

“Uah, what should we do?”

Everyone was there, starting from Judiel, Helen, and even Yua.

“She’s fine.”

Raon smiled faintly and handed Sylvia over to the maids since he’d already treated her with the holy power.

“Haa…”

Helen sank to the ground, her strength leaving her legs as she confirmed that Sylvia’s breathing was stabilized.

“Wait for me with my mother.” Raon nodded after meeting the maids’ eyes one after the other. “I’ll quickly finish the match and come back.”

He waved his hand before he went into the arena.

“My mother couldn’t bring herself to cut you down because of her kindness, but…”

Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive. Sunlight reflected on the blade, which was shining in a frightening manner.

“I’m different from her. You should brace yourself.”

“You bastard…”

Raon calmed his breathing, watching the vice head of the elders as he ground his teeth. He normally would’ve given him some time to recover, but the battle was between the annex building and the vice head’s faction. He couldn’t ruin the result that Sylvia had worked hard to achieve.

“A-are you ready?”

The master of ceremonies had been standing there blankly before he approached them with trembling fingers.

“No, I’m not ready.” The vice head of the elders firmly shook his head. “The arena is devastated! I’m not going to fight until it’s done being repaired!”

It was true that the arena was a mess, but it wasn’t bad enough to refuse fighting. The vice head of the elders was trying to recover his aura and stamina by dragging it on as much as possible. He really was an old snake.

“The match will be quickly over anyway.”

“We don’t know that until it happens! Anyway, I’m not going to fight until the arena’s repairs are done!”

The vice head of the elders demanded that they repair the arena and went down from it. He was leaving no other choice.

“Haa… Understood. We’ll repair it right now—”

“I knew you’d do that.” Rimmer leaped toward them from the gambling place that he’d built himself. “Come here.”

He gestured with his hand, and a magician wearing a robe came walking from the spectators on the right side.

“Please repair the arena.”

“Haa… So this is why you called me.”

The magician took off the hood he was wearing. It was Verbin, the vice master of Zieghart’s magic tower, and Rimmer’s drinking friend.

“What other reason would I have to call you?” Rimmer shook his hand, urging him to repair it already.

“Gambling addicts have no patience!”

“Your requests are seriously difficult and annoying every time. I even had to write an apology because of what I did last time…” Verbin sighed deeply while looking at Rimmer.

“It was fun though, at least.”

“That’s true.”

He smiled saying that it was worth writing the apology. Raon realized that he had a similar personality to Rimmer.

“Then start repairing already.”

“You’ll have to buy me a drink after this.”

Verbin chuckled and lifted his hand.

Whir!

The mana extended from his palm, restoring the destroyed arena to its original shape as if time were reversed.

“Thank you.”

Raon lowered his head at Rimmer and Verbin with a surprised look on his face. He wasn’t expecting them to help him like that.

“Don’t mind it. I was able to watch a nice battle thanks to you.” Verbin returned to his seat, telling him not to worry about it since Rimmer was going to pay for the repairs.

“You just need to win! Just win!” Rimmer waved his hand and returned to the gambling area.

Even Shitty Ears can be helpful sometimes.

Wrath’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘He didn’t do that for my sake. He’s just impatient to make money.’

Ah!

Wrath’s eyes widened further as he finally realized Rimmer’s intentions.

“Let’s get started since the arena is repaired.”

Raon turned his shoulder and entered the restored arena. He nodded towards the vice head of the elders, who was gathering his aura.

“Kuh…”

The vice head of the elders entered the arena while biting his lip because his excuse was gone.

“Are you both ready?” The master of ceremonies carefully asked.

“I’m ready.”

“…I am.”

The vice head of the elders nodded heavily, realizing that he had no other choice.

“Well then… Final match, begin!”

The master of ceremonies lowered his hand from above and then immediately left the arena.

“Kuaaah!”

The vice head of the elders rushed at Raon before the master of ceremonies even managed to leave the arena. He was going all out from the beginning. He unleashed the Sword of Ten Forms’ special technique right off the bat because he was well aware that he had no chance of winning if the fight dragged on.

Whir!

Ten sharpened astral spheres moved like living creatures and rushed toward Raon’s vitals, aiming all over his body.

‘So obvious.’

Raon smiled coldly and executed the Spiral Light Style. The red light dwelling on Heavenly Drive cut down the ten astral spheres at once and smashed into the vice head’s shoulder.

Crack!

The blade cut the vice head’s shoulder to the bone, scattering crimson blood around. It was the exact same location that Sylvia had attacked in the beginning.

“Aaack!” The vice head of the elders clutched his shoulder and frantically stepped back. “Im-impossible! How is this happening even though we’re both using astral spheres?!”

His chin trembled in disbelief. He still seemed to be unaware of the fact that the Spiral Light Style was a hard counter to the Sword of Ten Forms.

“Impossible because we are both using astral spheres?” Raon sneered, watching the vice head’s trembling eyes. “You are losing precisely because you think like that.”

“Shut up!”

The vice head of the elders unleashed ten blades of astral spheres again while letting out a groan. The astral spheres gathered into a single sphere this time, crashing like lightning.

Whir!

Raon’s Spiral Light Style blazed even more powerfully. He raised his sharpened blade toward the sphere of astral spheres descending towards him.

Slaaash!

The radiance incorporating the Spiral Light Style’s flow cut through the vice head’s astral sphere and even lacerated his waist.

Whaack!

A dangerous amount of blood gushed from the vice head’s waist.

“Aaaack!”

“We still have a long way to go.”

Raon executed the Wandering Flow Footwork with a cold smile on his face. He smoothly advanced as if he were gliding on ice and reached the vice head’s right side.

“Kuh!”

The vice head of the elders hurriedly tried to escape, but Raon stepped on his foot and immediately cut his waist.

Slaash!

The vice head’s thigh was lacerated, dyeing both his upper and lower outfit a bloody red color.

“Kuaah…”

Raon tilted his chin, watching the vice head of the elders start to step back with a trembling chin.

“We have the forearm and stomach left now.”

“N-no way…”

Killuane, the vice head of the elders, looked at his injured limbs with trembling lips.

‘Has he only been targeting the parts that Sylvia attacked?!’

Raon had only been slashing at the wounds that Sylvia had inflicted on him. He’d thought it was just a coincidence, but that wasn’t the case.

He realized that Raon was slashing at the marks Sylvia had left on purpose.

“How much are you planning to humiliate me?!” Killuane screamed, unleashing all of his aura from his energy center at once. He dashed towards Raon with the determination to end the battle with that move.

“Kuaaah!”

He unleashed the Sword of Ten Forms’ special technique and thrust the radiant astral sphere towards Raon’s abdomen and heart.

“Are you still incapable of realizing it?”

Raon stomped the ground as if he were laughing at him. The wavering aura emanating from his blade severed the astral sphere and skimmed past his wrist, cutting deeply.

Slaaash!

Before Killuane was even aware, his left hand was cut off perfectly and dropped to the ground.

“Aaaaaack!”

Killuane screamed, clutching his left wrist, where a large amount of blood was gushing out.

‘H-how did this happ—’

He’d fortified his defense because he thought Raon was going for his arm, but Raon had broken through it with such a simple strike. He couldn’t understand because it should’ve been impossible even if Raon had learned how to counter his skills.

‘Wait a moment…’

He could think of one possibility that could make it happen.

“N-no way…”

Killuane’s lips trembled in fear as he stopped the bleeding from his arm.

“The Spiral Light Style… could it be…?”

“You are so slow on the uptake.” Raon nodded, tilting Heavenly Drive downwards. “The Spiral Light Style was created for the sole purpose of destroying your Sword of Ten Forms.”

“Aah…”

He could finally understand it. The reason Sylvia could last such a ridiculous amount of time, and why Raon’s blade could reach him as if he were bypassing the Sword of Ten Forms—it was all because of the Spiral Light Style.

On top of analyzing the Sword of Ten Forms, Raon had created a martial art that could hard counter it. Killuane realized that he had no chance of winning from the beginning.

‘There’s only one way.’

He wanted to use it as a surprise attack, but he was reaching his limits. He had to use the last resort available to him.

Sword Field Creation

Raining Blades of Light

The shout of his will connected to his aura and changed the world.

The arena shrunk into white as if it were being compressed, and countless swords of light blazed above his head, displaying their frightening murderous intentions.

His Sword Field Creation consisted of a single strike, raining down the opponent with hundreds of astral spheres at once to crush them.

“It’s over for you!”

Killuane put his hands together as if he were praying, and the swords of light filling the sky showered down toward Raon. Every single one of them was an astral sphere. Calling it a certain kill technique wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

“This is my first time seeing your sword field, but…”

Raon twisted his lips into a smile, slamming Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem into the ground.

“It’s still within the frames of the Sword of Ten Forms.”

Darkness arose from the land where the two swords were embedded. The world that had been filled with light was blanketed with a heavy darkness, a red sun and a blue moon rising from it.

The red and blue swords had entered Raon’s grasp at some point, baring their fangs ferociously towards the showering light.

Whaaam!

As Raon swung the divine and demonic swords, the strike advanced like a roaring beast, breaking through the storming swords of light and cutting down the vice head’s sword field itself.

Slaaash!

The martial art incorporating the vice head’s life was ruthlessly torn apart.

* * *

Raon shook his head while watching the vice head’s sword field dissipate in vain.

‘You should’ve changed your method.’

The vice head of the elders must’ve been counting on the Sword of Ten Forms until the end because even his sword field had the same flow. Raon normally would’ve needed to fight until his sword field dissipated, but the Spiral Light Style allowed him to cut down his sword field itself.

“Cough!”

The vice head of the elders sank to the ground, coughing up blood from the rebound of the sword field’s deactivation.

“I-I surr—” He quickly tried to surrender, realizing he was no match for Raon anymore.

“You can’t.” Raon smacked the vice head’s skull with his scabbard before he could declare his surrender.

Whaaack!

With the sound of a bursting pumpkin, blood gushed out of the top of his head like a fountain.

“Aaaack!”

The vice head of the elders screamed, frantically rubbing his head with the only arm he had left.

“I don’t accept surrender.”

Raon continuously smacked the back of his head. He finally lowered his sword after creating countless bumps on his head.

“Uuh…”

The vice head of the elders couldn’t do anything but groan, his eyes rolling back from the pain.

I-it would be nicer to just kill him…

Even Wrath averted his gaze despite his craving for vengeance.

‘I’m not done yet.’

Raon stopped the bleeding so that the vice head wouldn’t die and spread Glacier’s frost on his face.

“Kuh… Aaaack!”

The vice head of the elders stood up while groaning and let out a scream that jolted throughout his body.

“Pl-please stop! I surrender! I lost!”

He fell to his knees and lowered his head to the ground, begging Raon to stop it.

“R-Raon Zieghart is the winner!”

It looked like the master of ceremonies didn’t want to see a corpse. He declared Raon’s victory despite the intense trembling of his hand.

“The annex building emerges victorious in today’s sword duel!”

He declared the annex building’s victory and sank to the ground in exhaustion.

“Huh…”

“H-how could he win so easily…?”

“I just found out that a sword field could be cut down…”

“What an unbelievable difference…”

After being terrified by Sylvia, the spectators were astonished by Raon’s prowess and murmured with trembling voices.

“Whoaaa!”

“Annex building! Annex building!”

“Light Wind Division! Light Wind Division!”

Their cheers only happened after the astonishment faded a bit.

Instead of returning their cheers, Raon caught the vice head’s ankle as he tried to crawl down from the arena.

“Wh-why are you doing this?! I already admitted my defeat—”

“You still have a bill to pay.”

“Ah…”

The vice head’s chin trembled intensely, finally realizing what he was talking about.

Raon took a moment to fully enjoy his panic before he opened his mouth.

“What I want is…”

***

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]