"Would you be willing to hear me out?" Raon looked at Derus Robert with feigned expectation in his eyes.
"Of course, you'll have no choice but to agree."
All Six Kings had created an atmosphere of granting wishes, and Derus had also mentioned that he would listen to requests. He had even said they needed to grow stronger, so refusing wasn't an option.
"Of course, since I'm no match for you in a formal fight, I hope you could moderate your strength a bit," Raon continued, speaking as if he had already received permission. "Please grant me the opportunity to witness the swordsmanship of House Robert, renowned for its mysteriousness." He bowed deeply, hand on his chest.
"Oh!"
"To think we'll see a duel between the Kingkiller and the Sky Sword Saint!"
"Already trembling with excitement… Just watching this duel will be a learning experience!"
The leaders of the neutral factions were already savoring the duel as if it had already taken place.
"Ah, Father." Lephon looked at Derus with clasped hands, his expression hopeful for the duel.
"If that's your wish…" Derus smiled faintly as he brushed back his hair.
"I should be the one making the request," he added, nodding, as if naturally obliging.
"Wow!" Lephon shook his raised fist, clearly excited.
"Well, since it's been brought up, let's start right away!" Ogram stood up from the round table as if he had been waiting for this moment. "We've just refurbished the dueling grounds for the kids to play, so it wouldn't be bad for the first fight," he said, hurrying along and leaving the conference room.
"I wish I could have a chance too," King Lecross followed, smiling as if he were available if a dueling partner was needed.
"Light Wind Division Leader, will you be alright?" Glenn called Raon by his title, casting a somber gaze.
"Yes. Even if I get a little hurt, I don't want to miss this opportunity," Raon bowed, asking for permission.
"It's your wish, so it's not for me to argue." Glenn nodded, standing up from his chair. "Don't worry. No one will get hurt."
Derus waved his hand as he followed Glenn out.
"Hey. Aren't you going?" Chamber glanced at the Mage Tower Master.
"Go without me…" The Mage Tower Master waved her hand weakly, exhausted.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Chamber frowned and dragged the Mage Tower Master out of the conference room by the waist. Due to their height difference, it looked like a child dragging their mother.
"We should go too!"
"Yeah. We might miss out on good seats at this rate!"
"Just participating in this conference is an honor, and now this serendipitous encounter!" The leaders of the neutral factions rushed out of the conference room one after another.
Raon clenched his fingertips as if sharpening a blade, leaving the conference room last. The first part of the plan has been accomplished.
Of course, this duel was his plan. Thanks to Glenn and the Six Kings' leaders playing their parts well, it went through without a hitch.
However… Derus Robert must have noticed this was a plan. It was impossible for that sharp-eyed snake not to have grasped the situation. He clearly accepted the duel, knowing full well what was going on.
You must think I can't dig into your wounds.
That arrogance—the complacency he didn't even consider arrogance—would become the sword to pierce Derus's heart. Raon left the conference room with his hand on the hilt of the Heavenly Drive. His eyes darkened, shrouded in night. This life will be different from before.
Before starting the duel, Derus stopped by his quarters to remove his robe.
"Lord Derus." Kubara bowed as she received the robe.
"Will you be alright?"
"I'm simply delighted," Derus smiled, interlocking his fingers. "I was curious how he would approach, but a duel? Not a bad move." He curled the corners of his mouth, anticipating the fight.
"Raon Zieghart is a monster who has created countless variables," Kubara said, lowering her voice but keeping her expression neutral. "Our plans have been thwarted more than once due to his words and actions, so you must be cautious."
"Of course, I won't be careless. However…" Derus raised a corner of his mouth, turning his head left and right as if loosening his neck. "They have no way. The death aura is sealed at the bottom of my soul, and it's impossible to open the scar on the back of this hand."
He chuckled, lightly tapping the back of his gloved hand.
"Since the outcome of the fight is obvious, the tension is lacking. Even the old men's acting is awkward."
"But…"
"Of course, it's not like there's nothing to acknowledge." Derus raised a finger. "Since it's difficult to openly suspect me, requesting a duel was certainly a good method."
Raon and the Six Kings must have planned to use the duel situation to remove the gloves and expose the scar on the back of his hand. Even if they failed, they would have judged there was no loss with the excuse of a duel.
But that's just your thinking.
Crisis becomes another opportunity. Contrary to what Raon and the Six Kings thought, Derus had planned to move in the opposite direction: to tarnish their reputation and gain compensation.
I'm looking forward to it. He imagined Raon and the old men's expressions crumbling before the Doppelganger Hide and felt excitement rising.
"Let's go." Derus said he couldn't wait any longer, leaving the room, with Kubara silently following behind.
Raon arrived at the dueling grounds first and warmed up.
You couldn't win even if you died and came back to life. Wrath shook his head, saying it was a fight between an elephant and an ant.
Just leave it to this king! He pounded his chest, saying he would trap Derus in a glacier and make him suffer for life.
That wouldn't be bad, but this is my war. I can't yield it to anyone. Raon shook his head heavily.
And what's important in this fight isn't martial arts.
The duel with Derus wasn't a contest of swordsmanship, but a psychological battle. Who prepared more and who knew the opponent better would determine today's victory.
"Raon." Glenn approached as he raised his concentration by resonating the Ring of Fire.
"I still don't like this plan," he whispered, creating an aura barrier so others couldn't hear. "Even now, if we change it and I finish it…"
"Then Derus will never reveal his true nature until he dies." Raon lowered his eyes, turning his back. "Only I, who pose no threat to him, can do this." He bowed, asking Glenn to trust him.
"Alright. I understand. However…" Glenn's eyes burned with heat. "If you seem in danger, I will intervene no matter what happens."
"Yes. I'll be counting on you."
He relaxed his tense expression after hearing the promise. Raon smiled, looking around the dueling grounds again. Not bad.
Thinking that the continent's strongest swordsman backed him, his fear disappeared. It felt as if he could do anything.
"Th-This king is here too!" Wrath suddenly shouted and leaped into the air. "If it's dangerous, summon this king!" He waved his arms, ears perked, not wanting to lose.
"Yes, yes." Raon chuckled and patted Wrath's head.
Derus entered the training ground, stepping onto the dueling grounds as if he didn't need any warm-up.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes. I'm finished." Raon nodded and drew the Heavenly Drive.
"Then let's begin."
As Derus reached behind him, Varian, the Young Sword Division Leader, handed him a blue-tinted sword.
"Are both of you prepared?" The Vice Union Leader of the Beast Union had somehow climbed onto the dueling grounds to officiate.
"Yes." "Yes." Raon and Derus answered simultaneously, holding their swords at mid-level.
"Then I declare the duel to begin!" The Vice Union Leader lowered his hand roughly and descended.
"I'll give you three moves." Derus stepped back, saying as a senior martial artist, he would allow the first three attacks.
"I won't hold back!" Raon kicked off without hesitation. Advancing as if piercing through space, he swung the Heavenly Drive. The reddened blade tip wavered hazily, then bloomed into hundreds of flower petals—Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Fire Spirit. Even more fragments of flame advanced at twice the speed, enveloping Derus's entire body.
Swordsmanship with sharpness hidden in its beauty. The speed of execution was fast too, not many could handle it easily.
However… Derus exhaled in admiration, swinging his sword down. His single, quiet strike completely quelled the Fire Spirit petals surrounding him.
"It's still lacking. To take down a master in one breath, you need to raise your speed and variability even more." He gave sincere advice, as if this were an instructional duel.
Raon had anticipated the Fire Spirit would be cut down and used the Supreme Harmony Steps to dive behind Derus's back. Crimson Slash Thirty-Six Strikes. The finishing move of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, striking thirty-six points in an instant, shot out like lightning.
"Your swordsmanship is so well-honed, it's beautiful. Of course…"
Derus rotated his wrist. The Crimson Slash Thirty-Six Strikes' sword energy helplessly subsided, as if iron filings were drawn to a magnet.
"The power and speed are still lacking."
This time, too, he smiled while pointing out the shortcomings.
Raon caught his breath while secretly observing Derus's hand. Despite unleashing the Fire Spirit and Crimson Slash Thirty-Six Strikes, not even the slightest mark had been left on his gloves.
A new sword technique? He seemed to have gotten stronger.
True to his reputation of being on par with even Glenn, Derus didn't waver at all in the face of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. It felt like facing an unbreakable wall.
But it doesn't matter. Not a single part of Raon's plan had been thwarted. The one who laughs last is the true victor.
Raon charged at Derus, thrusting the Heavenly Drive he had drawn back. A whirlwind of flames erupted from the sword, forming the shape of a massive fire dragon. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Heavenly Drive Flame Dragon Strike.
The roar of the fire dragon caused a tremendous explosion right before Derus's eyes. A crimson flame like a serpent's tongue and acrid smoke rose endlessly from the center of the dueling grounds.
Derus used his sword to create a wind that pushed away the smoke, seemingly unaffected by the impact. However, his leather gloves were slightly torn.
"Hmm." Raon swallowed dryly as he observed Derus's slightly torn gloves. Yet his chest beat slowly, as if he weren't excited at all.
"A sword strike focused on power. It's good that you deliberately approached to detonate it. If you fix the parts lacking in precision, it will become excellent swordsmanship," Derus said, relaxing his stance and stepping forward with his left foot.
"The concession is over. Shall we start properly now?"
"By all means." Raon charged toward Derus, grasping both the Divine Sword and the Demonic Sword.
Derus twisted his lips into a smile as he blocked Raon's strike. He's absurdly strong. He had felt it when Raon blocked his surprise attack, but Raon Zieghart's martial prowess was real—an absolute talent that even he couldn't match.
Of course, talent means nothing. No matter how strong Raon was, in the end, he would sink without blooming.
Raon's sword traced an elegant motion, like sunlight shimmering on water. The flaming sword, once aiming for vital points all over Derus's body, now fell sharply, targeting his hand.
As expected, he's aiming for my hand.
Derus twisted his lips, deflecting the strike. While Raon had appeared to aim for vital points earlier, he had been subtly thrusting toward Derus's hand. The successive flashy displays of swordsmanship were part of a plan to hide this intention.
"Your acting wasn't bad."
"But this was a fight you could never win from the start." A tremendous weight settled into Raon's sword, seeming to contain the sky itself. It appeared to be the Azure Sky Sword Glenn had personally taught him.
This much should be fine to take.
Although Derus could have blocked the Azure Sky Sword, he naturally allowed his leather gloves to be cut, wanting to see the despair on Raon and the old men's faces. Raon's strike tore through the thick leather gloves, revealing the back of his hand.
He could almost hear the eyes of Glenn, Ogram, Chamber, Lecross, and the Mage Tower Master, watching the duel, rolling in surprise.
"Those were gloves I was fond of." Derus held back his laughter, extending the back of his hand. Not a single wound was visible.
"Hmm…"
"As expected."
Haa… The leaders of the Six Kings let out inaudible sighs, unable to sense the Doppelganger Hide.
Of course, you wouldn't be able to tell.
The Doppelganger Hide didn't move with mana. Even for a Transcendent Warrior, its existence was undetectable.
However, unlike the Six Kings' leaders, Raon's eyes remained unchanged. His face seemed to have expected this.
Right. You must have known.
Derus nodded inwardly. Since Raon knew him well, he must have sufficiently predicted this situation.
However…
Even Raon couldn't detect this hide. The more he focused on Derus's hand, the more he sank into an endless swamp.
I can even see how you'll move.
Just as Derus was about to move, inwardly sneering, Raon's red Divine Sword shot toward him like a javelin, obscuring his vision.
"Hmm!" Derus swung his sword down to deflect it, widening his eyes as if startled.
"What's this?"
"You were too fast, so this was the only way." Raon lunged forward, grabbing Derus's wrist as if proposing close-quarters combat.
"You're quite impulsive. Must be your youth."
Derus opened his mouth in apparent surprise, but a rhythm of mockery bloomed in his chest. As expected, you came on your own.
No matter how strong Raon was, this was the only method left to reopen the wound on his hand.
"Your eyes are trembling."
Perhaps due to impatience, Raon's eyes wavered like waves hitting the shore. He began to push his fiery aura into the back of Derus's hand, trying desperately to reopen the scar.
It's futile with your power.
Derus had concentrated his aura between the Doppelganger Hide and his real skin, blocking any space for Raon's energy to penetrate.
"It doesn't seem to be working."
Derus curled the corners of his mouth, maintaining an extremely subtle aura barrier. "It's absolutely impossible at your level."
"There's nothing absolutely impossible."
Raon pushed more energy into Derus's hand, struggling desperately.
"I told you it won't work."
Derus sneered, reinforcing his defenses. While everyone focused on the back of his hand, Raon saw beyond that.
The Blade of Death… Hidden deep in his heart, it emerged.
The faintly glowing blade ignored the solid defense protecting Derus's hand and pierced into his deepest core.
The Ring of Fire illuminated the darkness, the emotion of wrath opened the path, and Alice's dimensional sword, along with Ogram's Fierce Wave Arts, lent their power to pierce Derus's soul.
"Wait…"
By the time Derus realized he had been tricked and tried to pull his wrist away, it was too late. The blade that cleaves death did not miss the fleeting opportunity, splitting open the seal of death sunken at the bottom of Derus's soul.
A sound like the sky splitting rang out. Derus's clear eyes turned pitch black, and the Death Aura danced like flames above his shoulders.
"...You vicious bastard! It was all a deception!" Derus's jaw trembled as he looked at the death aura writhing over his body.
"It's not viciousness…" Raon twisted his lips into a smile, facing the death aura that had escaped control. "It's thoroughness, Derus Robert."