abcnovels
Chapter 448
Chapter 448
Chapter 448
Raon’s eyes coldly skimmed over the middle-aged man who’d introduced himself as the White Wolf Saber.
‘The White Wolf Saber, Dunkern.’
His eyes—as small and narrow as a hole in a tree created by a pine caterpillar—and his hooked nose were noteworthy.
Judging from his body, which was as strong as an iron tower, Raon could tell that he was still keeping up with his basic training.
‘I didn’t expect to hear that name here.’
He was a sabermaster who’d been famous even when Raon had been an assassin twenty years ago. He’d never expected him to have joined the White Whale.
‘But his fame doesn’t matter at all.’
The Warring Steel division needed to rest because they were severely injured, and the hostages who were kidnapped by the Black Tower were still terrified.
Since Raon was in charge of all of them, the White Wolf Saber couldn’t possibly leave a good impression by blabbering about complaining to Zieghart after his sudden appearance.
“What did you just say?”
The White Wolf Saber placed his hand on the saber’s scabbard while angrily glaring at him. It seemed to be a threat, suggesting that he could draw his saber at any moment.
“Are you going to draw that?”
Raon’s lips curved into a snicker. He wasn’t intimidated by the White Wolf Saber’s gaze in the slightest.
“Try it. I’ll cut your hand off.”
He raised his chin, telling him to try whatever he wanted.
“Hah!”
The White Wolf Saber exclaimed with a frown on his face.
“He was right. You are completely insane.”
He looked back at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, whose shoulders were trembling, and tapped his finger on his saber’s scabbard.
“Do you even realize what you are doing right now?”
A heated pressure burst out alongside his angry words. The energy pressing upon Raon’s shoulders was as heavy and sharp as the saber hanging around his waist.
Rumble!
Raon furrowed his brow, as the White Wolf Saber’s pressure felt like he was being stabbed with a thick awl.
‘It’s rather heavy.’
Unlike the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent, who were finished off before they could use all of their skills because they’d trusted the demonic boundary too much, the pressure he felt was that of a warrior who had been polishing his martial art properly. Raon didn’t feel like he could easily defeat him.
‘However… I can’t withdraw now.’
He had people to protect behind him, and the land belonged to Zieghart. He couldn’t allow himself to be afraid of the likes of the Five Divine Orders, who’d raised their flags while hiding between the Six Kings and the Five Demons.
“I’m well aware.”
Raon calmly nodded and tapped Heavenly Drive’s scabbard.
“I’m currently giving some personality education to a hoodlum using violence in our domain.”
“Haa, you are seriously insane.”
The White Wolf Saber sighed and twisted his lips.
“Even though this is Zieghart’s domain, there’s not even a checkpoint and it’s near the border. How could you attack innocent people? Even the Five Demons wouldn’t do that!”
“It’s fair.”
“In that case…”
“It’s only fair to beat you up.”
Raon stood in front of the White Wolf Saber while looking at him coldly.
“It’s obvious that you are plotting something when you are even using an artifact to hide at the scene of a disappearance. It’s not like you are tourists, after all.”
“We simply wanted to gather some information. You cut his arm off and used violence just because they were hiding. It’s unacceptable!”
“You are the one who is out of your mind. That man—”
Raon sneered and pointed at the Sickle of Bloody Cloud behind the White Wolf Saber.
“—called the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud attacked me first in our land. Are you telling me that I should’ve put up with that?”
“What…?”
The White Wolf Saber widened his eyes and turned back. It looked like he wasn’t aware of that fact.
“I-it couldn’t be helped because he was the first one to make an excessive demand. And I was only trying to threaten him.”
The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud lowered his head, unable to look straight at the White Wolf Saber’s eyes.
“That’s why I wanted to return without doing this…”
He kept running his mouth without even being ashamed.
“Hmm…”
The White Wolf Saber shook his head while covering his forehead.
“I didn’t know that story. However, we never had any intention to attack Zieghart. We simply wanted to gather information about the Black Tower.”
His eyes looked slightly intimidated as he bit his lips.
“Information? I like information, as information can be your power in our times.”
Raon slowly nodded his chin.
“So you understand…”
“But there’s still a line that shouldn’t be crossed.”
He cut the White Wolf Saber off and rolled his lips into a smile.
“I can understand that you didn’t want to tell us about the fact that the Black Tower kidnapped the Warring Steel division at this location. Since you aren’t the Six Kings nor the Five Demons, you should’ve wanted us to fight against each other. However…”
Raon turned around. He narrowed his eyes while looking at the terrified hostages, who were still trembling because they couldn’t understand what was happening.
“They aren’t warriors. They don’t belong to the Six Kings nor the Five Demons, and they are also unrelated to the Five Divine Orders. They are just normal people who have been leading peaceful lives. They were kidnapped and offered as sacrifices, but forget trying to rescue them, you even refused to tell us anything about them and only wanted to obtain information. Bullshit!”
Raon glared at the White Wolf Saber with emotionless eyes and continued.
“You declared yourselves as neutral, didn’t you? From what I’ve seen, you are no different from the Five Demons. You are monsters who can do anything for your own benefit.”
The righteous deeds that Raon had been doing so far echoed in his voice, which was frightening enough to make a person’s hair stand on end.
“That’s…”
The White Wolf Saber bit his lip while looking at the people who were wearing ragged clothes.
He simply furrowed his brow, since he was unable to refute Raon’s argument based on morals and righteousness.
“Follow me if you finally understand.”
Raon shook his hand at the White Wolf Saber.
“I need to figure out what you’ve done and how you are related to the Black Tower.”
“All I can say for now is that we aren’t related to the Black Tower in any way. And…”
The White Wolf Saber shook his head without moving from his spot.
“I can’t follow you either.”
He placed his hand on his scabbard once again and raised his heated gaze.
“Yes, I knew you would do that.”
Raon snickered and grasped Heavenly Drive’s hilt.
“You were spouting about cause and other bullshit, but now you are acting for your benefit even though you already lost it. That is your true nature—just like a rat.”
“Haa…”
The White Wolf Saber sighed deeply upon hearing Raon’s provocation.
‘I’m going to lose more than I gain today.’
In fact, even though the esteemed one had ordered him to return right after retrieving the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, he couldn’t suppress his anger when he saw that his arm was cut off.
He’d thought that Zieghart was looking down on the White Whale and decided to complain, and he’d never expected that it could go so badly. Nothing was going in his favor, the cause and the situation alike.
‘The best course of action here should be to teach him a small lesson and withdraw.’
Raon seemed to be at the highest level of Master, but he must’ve spent a lot of his power during the fight against the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent inside the boundary.
Defeating him as quickly as possible and escaping was the best course of action.
“Come at me whenever you want.”
Raon activated the Perception of the Snow Flower while spreading his Black Dragon Coat.
‘He’s not an easy opponent.’
The power he felt through his aura perception was as vast as a mountain. Since he didn’t use any demonic energy or a cheap trick—as he’d reached the highest level of Master just with his saber—he was bound to counterattack if Raon went for an easy win.
However, his heart pounded a little, because it was the perfect opportunity to use the techniques that he’d learned from Glenn and Rector.
‘I’m going first if you aren’t coming… Hmm?’
Just as he was about to draw Heavenly Drive while reading the White Wolf Saber’s energy, the Perception of the Snow Flower informed him about another existence.
‘This man here is just as ugly as him.’
Raon briefly clicked his tongue, while rolling his eyes towards the forest on the right side.
The White Lotus division leader Ayad’s eyes were sparkling like an owl from the bushes.
‘Is he waiting for me to lose so he can interfere?’
Ayad was hiding his presence even though he was aware of the situation.
He must’ve been waiting for a crisis to come out and show off that he helped.
‘I won’t let that happen.’
Raon resolved himself that he wasn’t going to let Ayad have any achievement and clenched Heavenly Drive.
“I want to solve this with conversation. Is there any other way?”
“You just need to come with us to Zieghart.”
“That’s impossible!”
The White Wolf Saber unsheathed his saber while shouting violently. His saber draw was extremely quick. The blade emerging like lightning looked like a white wolf—just like his name.
Cring!
Raon had already read the White Wolf Saber’s pressure. He drew Heavenly Drive in a split second and incorporated it with the flow of Blue Rain. Crimson flames burst alongside a clear sword resonance.
Whaam!
The clash between the sword draw and saber draw at the center of the lake spread the powerful astral energy in all directions.
Crack!
Raon and the White Wolf Saber ignored the astral energy by creating an aura barrier around them and pushed the sword and saber toward each other.
“You aren’t half bad, just like the rumors!”
The White Wolf Saber twisted the blade to fend off Heavenly Drive before he struck downwards. It was a powerful technique with an extremely polished power, speed, and heaviness.
Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the White Wolf Saber’s strike, which seemed capable of destroying heaven.
‘It’s similar to the Fangs of Insanity.’
Just like his name implied, the White Wolf Saber’s strike had a beastly side to it. It felt like he was swinging his weapon from his intuition at every moment instead of having a systematized form.
Thud!
Raon stomped the ground. He created a huge disturbance in the lake and slashed Heavenly Drive upwards.
The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s energy engulfing his blade spread around like a blooming flower and created a huge flame pillar.
Baam!
The clash between the saber and sword created a tremendous explosion, resulting in shockwaves, and the lake sloshed like an ocean.
“It’s not over yet!”
The White Wolf Saber didn’t panic even though Raon had blocked his attack and targeted his neck next while shouting in a murderous voice.
“Not bad.”
Raon licked his lips and stepped forward with his bent knee. He left a thick footprint on the lake and slammed down the Fangs of Insanity’s technique.
The crazy beast roared fiercely. It was the beast whose fangs Glenn and Rector had polished.
Clang!
The frontal clash between the sword and saber created a waterspout all around the lake.
Raon and the White Wolf Saber unleashed the sword and saber strike toward each other in the middle of the violently raging tornado.
After countless exchanges of their techniques, the White Wolf Saber was the first to be bounced back.
Pssh!
The violent waterspout scratched the White Wolf Saber’s back and he fell on one knee.
“Kuah…”
He bit his lips in disbelief. His hand holding the saber was shaking.
‘How is this happening…?’
He couldn’t believe he was losing, as his realm was higher and his saber had more aura than his opponent.
“It’s a lie! This can’t be happening!”
The White Wolf Saber screamed and unleashed the White Beast Saber’s special technique, Tiger Pierce.
The sharp astral energy falling towards Raon’s head looked like the king of the mountain’s claws.
He looked enraged on the outside, but his head was still maintaining his cool.
‘He’s definitely going to dodge. After all, he is a swordsman.’
Since it was basic for swordsmen to dodge such a powerful attack and counterattack afterward, he expected Raon to dodge it.
However, that was what he wanted, since the Violent Heavenly Lightning was going to follow up to tear apart Raon’s body.
However…
Clang!
Raon didn’t dodge Tiger Pierce. He ran ahead as if he couldn’t wait anymore and destroyed the White Beast Saber’s flow. He looked more like a sabermaster relying on his sheer strength instead of a swordsman.
“Are you really going for an all-out battle against me? I’m never going to lose when it comes to a battle of attrition!”
“Battle of attrition?”
Raon tilted his head and rolled his lips into a smile.
“Stop kidding me. I just don’t dodge, and that’s my way of fighting.”
He unleashed the Fangs of Insanity one after the other as he spoke.
Clang! Clang!
It was a battle of power and speed between a sword and a saber. The White Wolf Saber would’ve normally had an advantage since his realm was higher and he was stronger than Raon, but Raon was the one who was pushing him back.
Whaam!
Since the principles of power, swiftness, and heaviness were polished to the extreme, his sword was even mightier than the White Wolf Saber’s weapon, and his body was supporting it with his inhuman abilities.
Raon knew he had a fair chance of winning when he picked a fight against the White Wolf Saber to begin with.
Rumble!
The White Wolf Saber’s eyes wavered violently like a sailboat on a turbulent ocean as he was pushed back by a thin sword.
* * *
* * *
“You…”
The sword was supposed to be fast and versatile while a saber was heavy and powerful. That was the underlying nature of the weapons, yet his ridiculous strength defied logic and it was tightening the White Wolf Saber’s heart.
‘I’m going to lose at this rate!’
He had to think of the fight as if he were facing an equal, or even a stronger opponent than him. He had to stop underestimating the opponent and guide the battle to his advantage.
Thud!
The White Wolf Saber barely managed to deflect Raon’s strike and pierced into his space.
He thrust his left fist, which wasn’t holding the saber. He was trying to push his opponent to a corner with his fist from point-blank range.
Smaack!
Raon wasn’t surprised, nor did he step back. It was fully possible for Raon to make that decision since he had plenty of battle experience.
He recreated the Thundering Fist’s trajectory with his left hand to fend off the White Wolf Tiger’s fist. It was the technique he’d learned when he was a trainee.
Whack!
The White Wolf Saber’s narrow eyes widened to the brim. He must’ve been surprised because the surprise attack that he’d considered perfect was defeated.
However, he didn’t run away either. He charged right back and attacked with his saber and his fist at the same time.
Whaam!
The fists holding the sword and saber clashed consecutively at point-blank range, close enough that they could hear each other’s breath.
The thunderous noises resounded throughout the space, and the frozen surface was shattered into pieces and melted.
With their feet supported by the sloshing lake, they kept thrusting their sword, saber, and fists with lightning speed toward each other’s vitals.
‘Both his martial arts and battle experience are outstanding.’
Raon licked his lips while looking at the White Wolf Saber’s frown.
‘Let’s change the method now.’
The White Wolf Saber was genuinely powerful. Since it would’ve been a waste to overwhelm him with sheer strength, he wanted to test out other techniques.
“It’s far from being over!”
The White Wolf Saber bit his lip and slashed the saber downwards. It was even faster and more powerful than before. The huge energy devoured the space in an instant and forced its way through.
“Same goes for me. I’m only getting started.”
Raon didn’t try to push him with sheer strength anymore. He put away the Fangs of Insanity and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, activating Glacier and the Blizzard Sword Art.
Cring!
Heavenly Drive’s blade glowed blue as it shaved away the White Wolf Saber’s astral energy while it descended like a mountain.
The saber slipped away and hit the ground, but Heavenly Drive didn’t move at all from the spot. The outcome was created by incorporating softness and variation into the Blizzard Sword Art.
“Argh!”
The White Wolf Saber looked like he was having a nightmare. He slashed upwards, malice burning in his eyes. A frightening amount of astral energy soared, evaporating the cold lake in the process.
Cring!
Raon lowered his center of gravity and unleashed the Azure Ocean Core of the Blizzard Sword Art. The silver gust descended diagonally and gently pushed the White Wolf Saber’s strike away.
“Impossible!”
The White Wolf Saber was panicking because his astral energy was being pushed away by the wind, but still kept going with his attacks.
Every single one of his strikes was powerful enough to upset the entire lake, but he couldn’t break through Raon’s silver wind no matter what he did.
“It’s my turn now.”
Raon deflected all of the White Wolf Saber’s strikes and thrust Heavenly Drive as he stepped forward with his left foot.
The faint coldness dwelling on the tip of his sword extended like a ray of light. It was the Blizzard Sword Art’s Dance of Blue and Red.
“Kuh!”
The White Wolf Saber slashed down in a semicircle, but the Dance of Blue and Red nimbly pushed away the saber barrier and left a deep wound at his waist.
“Huff, I won’t hold back anymore…”
The White Wolf Saber bit his lip to the point of bleeding and raised his saber.
An unimaginable amount of power gathered above his silver blade. Sharp wind burst out, and black waves appeared all over the lake.
“Uaaaah!”
He shouted loudly and swung down his saber. The principles were the same as before, but the realm and the power were on a whole different level. Raon couldn’t see any way of stopping it even with the enhanced Blizzard Sword Art.
‘Then I just need to use another method.’
Raon softly clenched Heavenly Drive by weakening his grip and extended his right foot.
He brushed past the violent wave of the lake’s surface and used Heavenly Drive, which was pulled back, for a forward thrust.
The blade wasn’t incorporating any red flames or the blue coldness. A white shadow flowed from behind the blade and spread around like sunlight.
Raon Zieghart Style Swordplay
Fifth Form, White Shadow Slash.
The white wave became as big as a greatsword’s shadow and engulfed the White Wolf Saber’s attack.
Whaap!
The astral energy was removed from the White Wolf Saber’s weapon, the power disappeared, and the speed and heaviness subsided.
Crack!
The blade snapped in half as the white shadow brushed past it, the White Wolf Saber’s astonished pupils were the only thing left.
Slash!
A laceration connecting the White Wolf Saber’s collarbone to his waist appeared, and red blood gushed from it.
“Cough…”
The White Wolf Saber dropped his broken saber on the turbulent lake and fell to his knees.
Raon smiled faintly while looking down on the blood flowing from Heavenly Drive.
‘Even the White Shadow Slash has improved.’
He could feel that even the White Shadow Slash had gotten stronger, just like the Fangs of Insanity, the Blizzard Sword Art, and the Flame Spirit.
Glenn and Rector’s teachings were incorporated into all of his techniques.
“A-a demon. It must be a demon’s skill…”
“Shut up.”
The White Wolf Saber stuttered while trembling in pain and fear, and Raon kicked his chin to send him flying.
Whaack!
He fell on his back with his eyes rolled back, floating on the turbulent lake.
Raon grabbed the White Wolf Saber’s collar to pull him out as he started to sink, throwing him out of the lake.
“Uaaah!”
The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud freaked out and screamed as the White Wolf Saber fell next to him.
Raon walked up to the Sickle of Bloody the Cloud and looked at Wrath, who was sitting on his shoulder.
‘You can read the mood since you’ve been quiet so far.’
Considering that he’d been silent without talking like always, he actually seemed capable of understanding the situation despite being a demon king.
…Should I do that?
‘What did you say?’
One set means four units. Mint chocolate needs to be included, and I also need to try out the new product of the month… Wait, no, I need two mint chocolates and the chocolate and strawberry among the three other choices, but then I won’t get to have the new product…
‘……’
He wasn’t being silent because of the mood. He was still contemplating what he should get for ice cream because Raon had told him he would buy him a set.
Raon shook his head while looking at the unconscious White Wolf Saber.
‘Demons are a lot more docile than you think, and…are useless gluttons.’