Chapter 115: Acanthus (4)
The Red Magician was strong.
One look at Acanthus’ mbers proved it. At minimum, Graduate-level warriors and equivalent magicians, even a “demon” shunned across the continent, had joined forces.
Yet, the consensus was that they were still insufficient to face him head-on, making further explanation of his strength redundant.
So, what could be done?
If even a force that could make a Master-level powerhouse wary wasn’t enough, should they just accept reality and live on?
With the burning hatred still smoldering in their hearts?
Carrying the tornt that would rot their lives forever?
No.
That couldn’t be.
Thus, Acanthus’ mbers, as “relative weaklings,” had to adopt an assassin’s approach to face the Red Magician.
Naly, concealing their presence.
“Well, not everyone can do that… but the boss is exceptional in that regard.”
Vivian, watching the spar in her true fairy form, thought to herself.
She prided herself on her skill in stealth and deception, but she couldn’t compare to Konjinyu.
Who could imagine?
A man who, at best, looked like a weathered Bronze Plate rcenary was actually a phenonal Spirit Master.
BOOM!
BOOM!
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-!
“That’s it! Keep it up!”
“Heh heh, the boss is finally showing so real strength.”
“Kill him! That Harang kid looks cocky—ti to knock him down a peg!”
A pillar of earth struck the ground repeatedly, transforming into a hamr, a fist, or a spiked mace.
It was an attack of trendous physical force. Even renowned elental magicians of the Red Magic Tower couldn’t replicate such raw power.
Konjinyu, displaying prowess far surpassing a 6th or 7th-star magician (equivalent to a Graduate), drew cheers from so Acanthus mbers.
But only briefly.
BOOM!
CRASH-!
BOOOOOM-!
As Konjinyu’s earth spirit magic showed no signs of stopping, worry crept onto the mbers’ faces.
“Hm.”
“…”
“Is this okay?”
“Boss? Boss! How long are you going to keep attacking? Isn’t it over?”
Acanthus was a group of so of the continent’s most dangerous and nefarious beings.
But they were still human.
Capable of feeling compassion.
To them, the fight was already decided.
Though the dust cloud obscured their view, Harang was surely in tatters, rolling in the ruins—a pitiable sight they couldn’t help but sympathize with.
“…This won’t do. The boss is too excited from using his power after so long. We need to stop him.”
Despite his rough appearance, the soft-hearted Zak made up his mind. Determined to stop the boss, he strode forward.
But only for a mont.
Three iron-masked n blocked his path faster than he could move.
Seeing this, Zak glared with his single eye at the wedding-dressed woman.
“Ms. Silenos? What are you…”
“It’s not over.”
“…What?”
“It’s not over yet.”
“Hm?”
“What does that…”
“Really? The fight’s not done?”
The mbers were shocked by Silenos the demon’s words.
They strained their eyes, trying to peer through the dust cloud.
But it was futile.
The dust raised by the earth spirit obscured even Acanthus’ senses.
This was Konjinyu’s fearso skill. Not just brute force, but ticulous attention to details like sensory disruption made him a formidable opponent.
What was astonishing was Silenos’ ability to accurately read the battle despite this.
And even more shocking was the fact that Harang, enduring in that chaos, hadn’t collapsed.
CLANG-!
Monts later, an astonishing sight caught the mbers’ eyes.
A massive earth club, falling at terrifying speed, was deflected in an entirely unexpected direction before hitting the ground—as if parried or struck by a sword.
And it didn’t end there.
Harang began deflecting the relentless attacks one after another.
CLANG!
Parrying upward.
CLANG!
Deflecting sideways.
CLANG-!
Pressing downward to create an opening, then darting out of the dust cloud’s range like lightning!
Seeing Harang erge minutes after the battle began, the mbers gasped. His appearance was far less battered than expected. Covered in dirt, yes, but aside from a few beads of sweat, he seed unhard.
Of course, escaping the earth spirit’s range didn’t end the fight.
Konjinyu, grinning, extended both arms.
Over a hundred lesser wind spirits, Sylphs, appeared, decorating the sky. But soon, they lded into the darkening heavens, shooting toward Harang like blades of shadow.
SWISH-!
WHIRR-!
They didn’t just fly straight.
So moved in straight lines, others in gentle curves, so spiraled to amplify their power, and a few were aided by fire spirits. Explosions at critical monts sent Sylphs at unpredictable angles. It was a dizzying onslaught.
But Harang remained calm.
He widened his eyes.
Not relying solely on sight.
Hearing, sll, touch, even taste.
Using every sense available, the black-haired young man read the night’s aura, imprinting every move of the cot-fast Sylphs in his mind.
No mistakes.
No failures.
Harang’s swift sword strikes burst the wind spirits apart.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
BOOM-!
POP-POP-POP!
“…”
“…”
“…”
Acanthus’ mbers were speechless.
Even Konjinyu was stunned. Instead of cheap exclamations, he reactivated the earth spirit he’d left idle. A trap he’d set while Harang dealt with the wind spirits paid off.
Rumble.
RUMBLE-!
Front, back, left, right.
Walls of earth surged like a tsunami from all directions!
Zak, the one-eyed man, was stunned by the spectacle. He knew the boss was strong, but not this strong. If it were him, he couldn’t think of a way out. Harang, too, seed destined to be crushed by the landslide-like disaster.
But he was wrong.
Harang closed his eyes.
Humm-!
He withdrew his expanded senses, focusing solely on himself.
Here, “himself” wasn’t just his flesh-and-blood body.
The sword.
The thing that made him who he was, perhaps more familiar than his hands or feet.
The mont he felt fused with it, Harang sensed his body being pulled into the sword.
No, it wasn’t an illusion.
It was reality.
BOOOOOM-!
Piercing the heavy earth walls with needle-like sharpness, Acanthus’ mbers felt as if a single sword had been launched at Konjinyu.
That dreamlike vision shattered when Harang’s critical strike was blocked by Konjinyu’s gesture.
CLASH-!
Konjinyu swung his right arm, roughly deflecting the sword outward.
Harang, who’d seed like the sword itself, reappeared.
Everyone stared, entranced. So voiced their shock.
“It was…”
“I’m not the only one who saw that, right?”
“Heh heh… I’ve heard of it. When a swordsman reaches the pinnacle, they enter a state where body and sword beco one. But to see it in a man in his 20s…”
“…!”
The wheelchair-bound old man’s words hit Zak like a blow.
Indeed. He’d briefly forgotten, but their opponent was around Zeb’s age—barely 20 or 21, a re rookie.
Yet, his display was nothing short of terrifying.
Zak couldn’t beat him.
No.
Except for Silenos the demon, Konjinyu the boss, and that one in secluded training, no one could.
For the first ti in a while, Zak was caught in a whirlwind of envy, inferiority, and admiration, staring at Harang with eyes that seed to burn.
“Hm.”
But Acanthus’ mbers weren’t the only ones shocked.
Harang was stunned too. Konjinyu’s strength far exceeded his expectations.
“A Spirit Master. I didn’t see that coming. But can Spirit Masters usually control multiple spirits at once?”
No, they couldn’t. Most Spirit Masters dedicated their lives to one spirit. Konjinyu’s ability to wield three spirits freely was a testant to his continent-shaking talent. Of course, Harang didn’t know this far.
That made him more curious.
Especially the final clash, where Konjinyu deflected his Aura Sword barehanded—it was shocking.
He asked, “How did you do that last move?”
“What? Oh, deflecting your attack? I wrapped my arm in a high-ranking wind spirit. Not just wrapped—spinning at high speed…”
WHIRR-!
The chillingly sharp sound alone made Harang nod. With that kind of power, it wasn’t surprising his Aura Sword was repelled.
But he wasn’t just impressed by the spirit’s strength. After all, it was Konjinyu himself who reacted and countered. He wasn’t just relying on spirits—he had considerable combat sense himself.
Harang voiced these thoughts candidly, and Konjinyu burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha… You sound like you’re above .”
“That wasn’t my intent… but I think we’re about on par, don’t you?”
“No. Unfortunately, you’re still below .”
“Really?”
“Yes. Unless you’re a Master-level powerhouse, you can’t gain the upper hand against . You’re… about one, no, one and a half steps behind.”
A near-provocative response.
But Harang didn’t take it as such.
He hoped Konjinyu’s words were true.
“Even if he’s not a swordsman, a chance to gain real combat experience against such a strong opponent is rare.”
Unlike Acanthus, who aid to unearth the village and kill the Red Magician, Harang prioritized protecting his precious bonds.
But different goals required the sa ans.
Strength.
Overwhelming strength was needed, and for that, Harang was willing to endure any hardship. Even if this were a life-or-death duel instead of a spar, he wouldn’t have backed down. There was much to learn.
“What a guy.”
Sensing Harang’s resolve, Konjinyu felt even more regret.
What a boon this kid would’ve been to Acanthus.
If that one taught him? How fast could he grow?
“Of course, in the current situation, they absolutely mustn’t et… Hm?”
As Konjinyu gazed at Harang with a mix of regret and pride, his expression suddenly twisted.
He wasn’t alone.
Silenos the demon turned her head to the right, and the three iron-masked n fully shifted their stance.
Harang was startled.
His senses detected nothing, yet several people were already reacting to sothing.
But monts later, when he realized why they reacted, he was struck with shock so great his earlier thoughts flew away.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Everyone held their breath.
It was approaching.
Acanthus’ greatest force.
A blue reaper, chilling the night air, with snow-white hair flowing, stepped into the heart of the battlefield.
He stopped.
Looked around.
And spoke.
“Boss.”
“…Heitz. It’s, uh, been a while.”
“I’ve caused a stir. But…”
His eyes shifted toward Harang.
The emotion was clear. A piercing, icy gaze, asking “Who are you?” stabbed into Harang’s heart.
He understood.
It had to be.
If soone asked Harang who this man was, the most fitting answer would be:
“Sword Master.”
The strongest opponent he’d t since entering the outside world.
eting Heitz, Acanthus’ mightiest, Harang gave a faint smile.
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