Chapter 132: The Grand Master’s Challenge

The exclusive training room for the head of the Schutaren Sword Family.

“……The cleanup is finished.”

Spelten said with a bitter expression.

Gaon nodded silently.

Many blood relatives and vassals had died.

What comfort could he offer in this situation?

“I’m sorry. For taking up your precious time.”

Soon, Spelten collected himself and spoke.

“Shall we begin?”

And Spelten placed his hand on his sword and asked.

“Sure.”

Gaon nodded and created a sword using Pacheonki.

And Spelten looked at the Pacheonki sword and said.

“……It’s truly a domineering sword.”

The nature of Pacheonki was domineering.

Perhaps that’s why?

The Pacheonki sword made from Pacheonki was ‘domineering’ itself.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Spelten said with a bright smile.

“Come at me.”

“Sure, I’m coming.”

Gaon responded with a smirk at Spelten’s relaxed demeanor.

For now, Gaon decided not to use magic.

He was curious if his swordsmanship would work against a grand master.

Perhaps because he decided not to use magic?

Spelten was showing a very relaxed appearance.

That’s why he was curious.

Could he maintain that composure even when facing the sword?

To check, Gaon immediately executed the first form of the Pacheon Sword Technique.

Whoosh!

The Pacheonki sword cleaved through the air.

Rip!

And space was torn.

That wasn’t the end.

Pacheonki escaped from the Pacheonki sword and flew toward Spelten.

And right at that moment.

Spelten drew his sword.

And Gaon could see it.

Spelten’s aura exploding against the Pacheonki.

In terms of energy alone, Pacheonki was overwhelmingly victorious.

However, Gaon was certain.

That the Pacheonki would be pushed back.

The reason Gaon was certain was the ‘sword intent’ felt in the aura.

Swish!

As expected, the Pacheonki disappeared.

But the aura remained solid.

It was at about 80% compared to the beginning.

Only 20% had been consumed to erase the Pacheonki.

And Spelten’s aura restored the space torn by the Pacheonki sword and then vanished.

Wow…….

Gaon admired it.

Is the difference in sword intent this great?

He hadn’t infused sword intent into the first form.

That’s why he knew it would be blocked, but it was blocked more easily than expected.

Indeed, the sword intent of a grand master was different.

……Hmm?

Next, Gaon looked at Spelten and tilted his head.

Spelten was flustered.

He had lightly blocked the attack.

So why was he flustered?

Could it be that blocking it was harder than expected?

Gaon, who had been about to continue the attack, paused for a moment and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well…….”

Spelten trailed off and asked with a face of disbelief.

“Could the sword technique you’re using be related to that person……?”

It was a sword technique he was seeing for the first time.

Yet it felt incredibly familiar.

It resembled the ‘sword’ he had heard countless times from his grandfather, the 12th family head ‘Rakid’.

“Ah, you mean Mu-hyeok?”

Gaon let out an exclamation as if he understood and asked.

Considering the relationship between Rakid and Cheon Mu-hyeok, it wasn’t strange for Spelten to know the Pacheon Sword Technique.

“Yes.”

“That’s right, though I modified it a bit.”

“I see…….”

Spelten nodded as if he understood.

And Gaon could see it.

The ‘passion’ that appeared in Spelten’s eyes.

It was a face that said he absolutely couldn’t lose to the Pacheon Sword Technique.

That’s why he became curious.

What did he say to make the kid react like that?

What on earth had Rakid said to Spelten?

What had he said to elicit such a reaction?

For now, Gaon decided to focus on the spar.

He could ask what was said after the spar was over.

Gaon closed the distance while gripping the Pacheonki sword.

He didn’t use the Pacheon Sword Technique.

In a standoff, using ordinary forms would be easily blocked.

The distance closed in an instant like that.

Gaon and Spelten began exchanging blows.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Pacheonki sword and Spelten’s aura blade collided without rest.

And Gaon thought.

No openings at all.

He tried to break through Spelten’s defense somehow.

But no openings were visible.

Indeed, as expected of a grand master.

And right at that moment.

Spelten, who had been focusing on defense, began mixing in attacks.

Spelten’s attacks were incredibly sharp.

If not for the countless battles with Rakid and Cheon Mu-hyeok?

It would have been hard to block.

While they continued exchanging blows endlessly, Spelten suddenly leaped back and created distance.

“……”

Spelten looked at Gaon without saying anything.

Again, with a very flustered expression.

“How did you master the sword to this extent……?”

Honestly, when Gaon first said he would only use the ‘sword’, he thought it wouldn’t be difficult.

Because Gaon was a mage.

But what do you know?

Gaon’s ‘sword’ was exceptionally outstanding.

To the point where even if Spelten went all out, he couldn’t easily subdue him.

Probably, most sword masters wouldn’t be a match.

“Because I’ve seen a lot.”

Gaon responded with a satisfied expression to Spelten’s reaction.

The period he had seriously trained in the sword wasn’t long.

However, the period he had observed the sword was by no means short.

In fact, he had experienced more than Spelten.

“……”

At Gaon’s response, Spelten let out a low groan.

He seemed to understand what it meant.

But that didn’t mean he comprehended it.

And Gaon continued to ask.

“I’d like to see your secret technique, is that okay?”

It seemed there was no need to see more ordinary exchanges.

“……Understood.”

Spelten responded to Gaon’s words and gripped his sword with both hands.

And he assumed a stance with the sword raised to the sky.

Next, the aura blade surrounding the sword began to grow rapidly.

The aura blade, which was 1m, stopped growing only after reaching 10m.

And it began to shrink again.

It shrank back to 1m in an instant, just like when it grew.

Hooh.

Gaon let out an admiration.

Understandably so, as it hadn’t simply grown and shrunk.

When the aura grew, the energy also grew accordingly.

But when it shrank, the energy didn’t decrease accordingly.

As before, the size of the aura blade was 1m, but the contained energy was on a different level.

Gaon infused sword intent into the Pacheonki sword.

Seeing the energy of the aura blade, even the Pacheonki sword would have a hard time enduring without sword intent, no matter how strong.

Right at that moment, Spelten disappeared.

And Gaon turned his body to the right and swung the Pacheonki sword.

At that instant, Spelten appeared in the air and swung his sword in response.

Thus, the Pacheonki sword and aura blade collided.

Boom!

With the collision, a tremendous roar echoed, and space distorted.

And Gaon could feel it.

A repulsive force much stronger than before.

After that, Spelten continued his attacks.

And Gaon focused on defense.

Definitely…….

Gaon thought as he parried Spelten’s sword.

With just the sword, it’ll be tough.

The power was different, making it harder to block than before.

He was blocking well now, but at this rate, he’d be breached.

In the end, this time Gaon strongly pushed back Spelten’s sword and created distance.

And asked.

“Have you learned the Sword of the Sky?”

The strongest among the Schutaren Sword Family’s secret techniques, the ‘Sword of the Sky’.

It wasn’t a technique that could be learned easily.

As far as Gaon knew, the only one in the Schutaren Sword Family who had learned the Sword of the Sky was ‘Rakid’.

However, if it was Spelten, who had become a grand master?

He thought he might have learned it.

“I have learned it, but…….”

Trailing off, Spelten continued with an awkward expression.

“It’s not perfect.”

“Then, could I see the Sword of the Sky as a finale?”

“It might be dangerous…….”

Spelten stopped mid-sentence.

“You won’t be in danger.”

The Sword of the Sky was the ultimate secret technique.

But would it threaten Gaon?

Of course, if Gaon only used the ‘sword’, it could be a threat.

But in a situation where it would be a threat, Gaon wouldn’t only use the ‘sword’.

And if Gaon used magic?

The Sword of the Sky would be blocked.

“Then, I’ll prepare.”

Spelten said to Gaon.

“Hoo…….”

And he exhaled deeply.

At the same time, Gaon could see it.

Spelten’s energy fluctuating greatly.

And the space above Spelten’s head distorting.

Soon, the distorted space tore open.

And from the torn space, a massive sword blade revealed itself.

It was Spelten’s Sword of the Sky.

Gaon smiled upon seeing the Sword of the Sky.

It was different from Rakid’s Sword of the Sky.

It was weaker than that.

But that didn’t mean it could be underestimated.

It possessed a momentum befitting the name Sword of the Sky.

And the Sword of the Sky began approaching while distorting space.

Gaon aimed the Pacheonki sword at the approaching Sword of the Sky.

It wasn’t to use the third form.

The stance was the same, but what Gaon intended to use was the sixth form of the Pacheon Sword Technique, ‘Shatter’.

The Pacheon Sword Technique had a total of eight forms.

And from the sixth form ‘Shatter’, they were ‘secret techniques’.

Their destructive power was incomparably stronger than the previous forms from the first to the fifth.

And it was also the strongest form of the Pacheon Sword Technique that Gaon could currently execute.

Naturally, it was that much harder to use.

Because it required a large amount of energy and a high level of ‘sword intent’.

Of course, the energy was sufficient, and the important thing was the ‘sword intent’.

Gaon focused on infusing sword intent.

And soon, a small ‘orb’ appeared at the tip of the Pacheonki sword’s blade.

It was ‘Shatter’.

Next, Shatter flew toward the Sword of the Sky.

In an instant, Shatter and the Sword of the Sky met.

Rip! Rip! Rip!

A contest of strength began.

It wasn’t simply a clash of contained energies.

Gaon’s ‘sword intent’ contained in Shatter.

Spelten’s ‘sword intent’ contained in the Sword of the Sky.

The clash of the two sword intents was the main part.

And not long after.

Whoosh…….

Shatter dispersed.

It had lost the contest of strength.

And the Sword of the Sky began advancing again.

As expected, it doesn’t work.

In terms of energy alone, Shatter had the advantage.

Although Spelten was a grand master, Gaon was in the next realm, the 9th-Circle, so he was inevitably overwhelming in energy.

The problem was the ‘sword intent’.

The sword intent of Spelten, who had devoted himself to the sword for a long time, was strong.

Of course, Gaon wasn’t disappointed.

He hadn’t thought he could defeat Spelten with the sword from the beginning.

In other words, it was a situation he had already anticipated.

And Gaon’s main strength wasn’t the ‘sword’ but ‘magic’.

Swish.

Gaon extended his hand toward the Sword of the Sky.

Then, extreme cold froze the Sword of the Sky.

Next, a bolt of lightning escaped from Gaon’s hand and advanced toward the Sword of the Sky.

The lightning bolt heading toward the Sword of the Sky split into dozens in an instant.

Soon, dozens of lightning bolts struck the frozen Sword of the Sky.

Crack!

Crack!

Snap!

Crack!

As the lightning struck, the sword intent contained in the Sword of the Sky was completely destroyed.

The Sword of the Sky, having lost its sword intent, could no longer maintain its form and turned to dust, vanishing.

The Sword of the Sky was gone, but the lightning still remained.

However, Gaon didn’t send the lightning toward Spelten but erased it and looked at Spelten.

“Hoo…….”

Spelten was regulating his breathing.

Gaon said to Spelten.

“Now that the sword check is over, how about I use magic?”

“……!”

Spelten, having finished his breathing, flashed his eyes.

It was finally time to experience the ‘magic’ of the 9th-Circle mage he had been waiting for.

“What level would you like me to go at?”

“Full power is…….”

“10 seconds.”

Spelten was strong.

Among the martial artists Gaon had seen so far, he was the strongest after Rakid and Cheon Mu-hyeok.

Nevertheless, Gaon was confident he could subdue Spelten in 10 seconds.

The presence or absence of completeness made that much difference.

“……So the gap is that wide.”

Spelten smiled.

It was a smile containing conflicting emotions of bitterness and excitement.

He already knew there was a gap.

But 10 seconds?

“Just come at me with full power. With killing intent. Sincerely. I’ll adjust accordingly.”

“……Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

Gaon smiled brightly.

“Then…….”

Spelten trailed off and disappeared from his spot.

“……”

Karlin fell silent at the scene before him.

He had no choice but to be silent.

Spelten was sprawled out.

Like a corpse.

Of course, it looked like a corpse, but it didn’t mean he had become one.

Swish.

Karlin turned his head to look at Gaon, who had called him.

Gaon was unfazed.

He showed no signs of fatigue, and his attire wasn’t disheveled at all.

It was completely different from Spelten.

What on earth…….

Karlin knew.

That Spelten had reached the realm of grand master.

But how could such a result come about?