Well said!
Wrath shouted while clutching onto Raon's sleeve.
Fuck that guy up! Whoever hurts our ice cream girl deserves a fate worse than death!
He ground his teeth while telling him to freeze Rekri, who'd made Runaan faint, and even the ones who'd ordered him to do it.
Unlike Wrath, the training ground was as quiet as a library even though it was brimming with countless people.
"Ah…"
"Wh-what did he just say?"
"Did he say that he would fight four people at once?"
"That's not all. Every single person he has just designated is at the highest level of Master."
"Moreover, they are the disciples of the Five Divine Orders…"
"Don't you have to be a Grandmaster to do that?"
"H-he must be bluffing."
The spectators looked at Raon. They were thinking that Raon was bluffing in order to participate, but his eyes were serious.
"H-he looks serious about it."
"D-does that mean he's really planning to fight a four-on-one match? Against those monsters?"
"Even though he is called a sword dragon, I don't think it's possible…"
"He must be overconfident because he got famous at a young age."
The people furrowed their brows, saying that it was excessive arrogance.
"Haa…"
The Thespian Emperor sighed while putting her hand on her forehead.
"Sir Raon, all the warriors you've designated are at the highest level of Master. They are ready to break through the wall and become Grandmasters at the slightest opportunity."
She shook her hand, saying that it was impossible.
"I'll take it as a slip of your tongue, so withdr—"
"No."
Raon averted his gaze from the Thespian Emperor.
"It wasn't a slip of the tongue."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked at the spectators, who were still confused.
"I cannot just participate since that restriction was made from fear against me. This is my expression of consideration. Don't be reserved and come to the arena."
Raon bobbed his hand towards the three warriors one after the other since they were still outside the arena.
'Lady Denning Rose's information was correct.'
She was the one who'd allowed him to learn their faces.
They were already quite famous as warriors, but the Five Divine Orders must've been planning to spread their reputation to the entire continent through the fighting contest.
'And I'm not about to let that happen.'
If Raon defeated those four at once, he would be able to clip the Five Divine Orders' wings before they could fly.
He wasn't going to fall back. After all, he needed to achieve the mess he'd planned.
"..."
"You bastard…"
The woman holding a sword quietly closed her eyes, and the warrior holding a spear became infuriated. They seemed to have a similar personality to their masters in the Five Divine Orders.
"Raon!"
Burren's voice could be heard from below the arena. The panic in his eyes revealed that he was even more surprised than the others.
"You crazy bastard! What are you doing right now?!"
"Why are you going about this the hard way?!"
"Does he seriously have a blade stuck in his brain?"
It wasn't just Burren. Even Dorian and Krein were startled. Their faces looked like they were looking at a madman.
"I-it's not too late to stop!"
Dorian shook his head while anxiously rubbing his belly pocket.
Even though he'd been surprised by Raon many times before, he seemed to believe that fighting four highest-level Masters at once was still impossible.
"Division leader! What are you waiting for? Stop hi—"
He looked behind him and suddenly came to a halt.
"Hey, everyone! This is a rare opportunity! I'm sure you couldn't make any bets because the contest was unfolding too quickly! This is your chance to realize your dream of turning your lives around!"
Rimmer had already started to gather people's money for the bet.
"To the right if you are betting on Raon, and to the left if you are betting on the Five Divine Orders! Hurry up!"
"Ten gold coins for the Five Divine Orders!"
"Thirty gold from me!"
"I'm betting fifty gold and this armor!"
The gamblers were swarming around Rimmer since they couldn't bet in the previous matches because the matches started too quickly.
It went without saying that most of them were betting on the disciples of the Five Divine Orders. Not even 10% of people were going to the right side.
"Huh…"
"Wow…"
Burren and Dorian shook their heads while watching Rimmer, who had become lively.
"That man…"
Raon closed his eyes. He was thinking that Rimmer had been behaving himself recently, but he was doing it again.
He couldn't understand how an elf could only show his presence during a bet.
However, Rimmer still looked slightly different from before despite his behavior.
Whaaam!
Upon hearing a sudden explosive sound, Raon's gaze returned to the training ground.
Rekri, who'd been quiet so far, had stomped the ground to create a deep footprint at the center of the arena.
"You bastard…"
A frightening glow appeared in his eyes as he glared at Raon.
"There's a limit to how much you can look down on people. Don't you even see me?!"
"I see you."
Raon smiled while tapping on his eye.
"There's no way I wouldn't see an ugly face that is as unsightly as your swordsmanship and personality."
"Are you calling me unsightly?"
"Even during a duel, isn't it a common courtesy to concede three attacks to the opponents like a teaching spar if there's a huge difference in skills?"
"That's just out of consideration. There's no obligation for me to do it."
"You are right. However…"
Raon nodded and raised his gaze above the platform where the Thespian Emperor was located.
"Your leaders said that they held this fighting contest for the young warriors to be acquainted with each other. This must be your way of getting acquainted."
"Th-that's…"
Rekri frowned, unable to respond. He couldn't give any excuse because he had also heard what Thespian Emperor had said.
"That's why I'm also trying to get acquainted with you in my own way."
Raon removed his smile and looked at Rekri with dry eyes.
"You'd also better come up here quickly. My patience is about to run out."
"…That was indeed my fault. However!"
Rekri ground his teeth and placed his hand on his hilt.
"I won't accept this humiliation! Four-on-one? Take it back right now!"
"How annoying."
Raon clicked his tongue while watching the three warriors whose asses were still on their chairs instead of Rekri.
"Alright. In that case, I'll defeat him within ten moves. Are you going to accept a three-on-one fight if I do it?"
Once Raon declared that he was going to defeat Rekri in ten moves, the three warriors' eyes shone ferociously.
"I'll that that as a yes."
Raon rotated his wrist and looked in the direction of the Light Wind division.
"Burren."
He bobbed his finger at Burren, who was standing at the front.
"Huh? Ah, yes!"
Burren nodded awkwardly because he didn't expect to be called on in that situation.
"It won't be fair if you don't get any opportunities. Watch closely. You will be able to gain even more than the others."
Burren hadn't had a chance to enter the arena because of Rekri's early participation.
"Hmm…"
Burren nodded while grabbing the back of his right hand with his left hand. He seemed to have understood the meaning behind Raon's words.
"Raon Zieghart…"
Raon smiled in satisfaction, and Rekri's angry voice could be heard from behind him.
"Are you looking down on me?!"
"You are so loud. I can hear you even if you don't shout like that."
Raon picked his ear and walked up to Rekri.
"You must be craving dea—"
"Do you have a favorite food?"
"What? What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?!"
"Just tell me. Which food do you like?"
"..."
Rekri glared at him viciously instead of responding.
"Can't you even answer a simple question? You are more cowardly than I thought—"
"I like grilled meat."
"Like grilled pork? I liked that one."
"Why did you ask about my favorite food?"
He furrowed his brow, asking why Raon suddenly asked about food before a spar.
"Because the girl you made faint by kicking her abdomen likes ice cream. She consistently went to buy ice cream after every breakfast, even during this festival."
A small smile appeared on Raon's face as he glanced at Runaan, who was getting treated.
"I liked watching her back as she ran because it's the only moment she looks happy despite the way she doesn't really show her emotions. It was also fun to make fun of the useless glutton who kept shouting at me to take him with her."
Raon looked at Wrath, whose face was flushed.
"But that small moment of happiness is gone because of you."
"So what do you want—"
"I'm irritated."
Raon's low-pitched voice sounded like it came from the netherworld.
"Now that I think about it, ten moves are too many."
"What?"
"I'll destroy you within three moves, just like you did to Runaan."
"Grrr!"
Rekri's neck turned completely red.
"You've crossed the line far too much."
His twisted brow showed that his patience had run out.
"Don't expect to get out of here unscathed—"
"Rekri!"
When even his face was about to turn red from anger, the Demonblade on the platform stood up from his seat and called his name.
"Ah…"
Rekri finally came back to his senses and bowed to the Demonblade with an ashen face.
"So this was your goal all along. You wanted to agitate me and…"
He ground his teeth while looking back at Raon.
"It doesn't matter whether someone like you is agitated or not."
"I'll kill you…"
Rekri violently pointed his hand at the referee.
"Start the match already!"
The referee's lips trembled and looked at the two participants one after the other.
"A-are you ready?"
"I am!"
"I'm ready."
He nodded and raised his hand.
"The match between Raon from Zieghart and Rekri from the Black Snake Coalition is starting… now!"
He lowered his hand, and Rekri's left foot moved before the referee even left the arena.
Whaam!
Along with a huge resonance, Rekri's body rushed through the wind. He had a posture similar to a cavalry's stabbing attack, his longsword clenched with two hands fixed at waist level.
However, his charge was on a whole different level from a cavalry's. The tip of his sword multiplied into dozens and created a furious storm of astral energy. It almost looked like a meteor shower.
Raon didn't move until the moment the tip of Rekri's sword was near his chest.
He simply watched while rotating the Ring of Fire and running the Perception of the Snow Flower.
'The flow of his astral energy is rough, and the trajectory of his blade is fast and ever-changing. His swordsmanship and footwork are suitable for a thin body.'
Raon clenched Heavenly Drive's hilt while skimming through everything Rekri had, starting from the flow of his aura, the trajectory of his blade, even to the smallest movement of his body.
Wham!
Raon stomped the ground with his right foot and unsheathed Heavenly Drive.
Cring!
Alongside a clear resonance, the deadly blade soared and followed Rekri's sword thrust at him.
Creak!
The crossed blades turned the clear sword resonance into a discordant noise as it spread throughout the training ground.
The move consisted of increasing the power of the sword draw and damaging the opponent's sensory organs through the Blue Rain.
"Kuh!"
Rekri frowned in pain. The astral energy dwelling on his blade became slightly fainter. Raon sharply pivoted Heavenly Drive towards that opening.
Clang!
Rekri was pushed back, unable to withstand the sword draw.
He used his footwork to slide away with his upper body leaned forward. The balance of his body was almost perfect even though he was surprised by how his preemptive strike was blocked.
"That was the first move."
Raon calmly declared and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. His vision narrowed down as if the space were being folded, and Rekri's distorted face was right in front of him in an instant.
"It won't work!"
Rekri prepared for a counterattack by creating a sword barrier of astral energy in that short timeframe—as if he were proving that he wasn't a highest-level Master for no reason.
'I can just destroy a sword barrier. And I'll do it with a fast and decisive strike so that he won't even be able to counterattack.'
Raon pushed Heavenly Drive upwards. The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's fire burst from the tip of the blade and spread through the wind to twist the space.
The raging fire of astral energy furiously soared and created a crimson line while scratching the destroyed arena.
Crack!
It was a reversed Crimson Slash. The incinerating blade tore Rekri's sword barrier apart as if it were splitting the entire world in half. The speed and sharpness had transcended the Master's realm.
"Second move."
Raon peacefully stated that it was the second move and rushed towards Rekri.
"Argh!"
Rekri widened his eyes in surprise at how easily the barrier of astral energy was shattered, but he'd finished his preparations to escape again in that short instant.
He pulled his left foot back and he was about to use his footwork when Raon stomped his right foot, which still remained on the ground.
Whaaam!
Rekri's right foot was slammed into the ground under Raon's foot, and fissures spread around the entire arena like a spider web.
"You aren't going anywhere."
Raon snickered and slashed Heavenly Drive downwards.
Crack!
Rekri focused his astral energy to create a thick layer above his blade, but Raon had already predicted his move.
Smash!
He surrounded Heavenly Drive with Coiling Power and shattered Rekri's last line of defense.
"And this is the third and last move."
"W-wait, you used your foot…"
"Foot doesn't count."
Raon smiled coldly and swung Heavenly Drive even faster. The thick aura dwelling on the side of the blade smacked Rekri's face.
Smaack!
The huge whacking sound was even more frightening than when he'd used the Blue Rain. Rekri fell under the arena with all his teeth getting spat out.
"Guu…"
Foaming blood was flowing down from Rekri's mouth as his body trembled from the extreme pain.
"It must've been even more painful for Runaan, but I'll call it quits since you won't be able to eat any grilled meat for a while."
Raon shrugged his shoulders, and Rekri hung his head. He seemed to have fainted because of the pain.
Aren't you going to kill him?
'I'll do it later.'
Raon briefly clicked his tongue and shook the blood off Heavenly Drive. The blade proudly radiated under the setting sun as the blood dripped away from it.
Shring.
He shoved Heavenly Drive back into the scabbard. No one in the training ground was able to speak until the sound of friction between the blade and scabbard came to an end.
Tap.
The spectators finally breathed out after the blade completely disappeared.
"Err…"
"D-did he really defeat Rekri in three moves just now?"
"B-but they were both supposed to be highest-level Masters! I-is this even p-possible?"
"Th-this can't be true…"
"I don't even understand what's happening anymore…"
The spectators' lips trembled violently at the completely unexpected situation.
"This should've been enough to prove my qualification."
Raon looked down on the VIP seat while standing at the center of the fissured arena.
"Come up here, all of you."
He bobbed his finger at the Five Divine Orders' disciples, who were staring at him with widened eyes.
"I'll teach you why Zieghart is called the Emperor of the Sword."