“So you want me to let your friend join the training too?”

In the open space where the sparring had taken place last night. Mi Tae-eul asked with a dumbfounded expression.

“Yes. As a martial artist, how can I pretend not to see my friend’s difficulties?”

“And that’s why you were late?”

“The sun hasn’t reached its zenith yet, so it’s still morning…”

A super-fast flick of the forehead hits my head.

“Since you’re late, you’ll have to train more. By the way, Baek Hasin… that child who the Martial Alliance Leader has his eye on, who was active in this war. I’ve heard your situation well. I’ll help you, and I’ll even be your notary.”

“Ah, thank you, elder.”

Somehow, it felt like he was being kinder only to Baek Hasin. But thanks to him, I had safely passed the matter of being late, so I was going to let the trivial things go.

Until Mi Tae-eul made an additional remark.

“This is perfect. You two, who are similar, can fight each other.”

“Pardon?”

“Pardon?”

We both asked back at the same time. Even though we were classmates, to say that our levels were similar.

Although I was behind in swordsmanship, that wasn’t all there was to strength.

To say that I, who had countless irregularities and special abilities such as the use of magic and the Daoist Scholar’s Fan, was on the same level as Baek Hasin was just a simple comparison.

Since it was a matter I was subtly concerned about, I couldn’t easily accept it.

In the first place, considering even the Flame Lightning First Blade Spear, wasn’t this side’s maximum firepower superior?

“But why are you surprised?”

“You’re the one. You can’t use a sword as well as me.”

A laugh escaped at Baek Hasin’s answer. The foolishness of measuring strength only by the sword.

“It seems you don’t know the true power of this Great Mage…”

“Do you even know how to use powerful qi?”

It was a very bold attitude.

It was the same with Baek Yu-hwan, and he wasn’t like this at first, so when did he become so twisted?

“So how long are you going to fight with just your mouths?”

Just then, Mi Tae-eul looked at us and said with a grin, as if it was interesting.

“You two can just fight and see.”

That old man must have been aiming for this from the beginning. But there was no reason to refuse either.

Because there weren’t many situations where we could spar relatively safely under the supervision of a Transformation master.

‘It’s not bad to fight a master who uses demonic arts on this occasion.’

It seemed Baek Hasin’s side was the same, as he looked at me and then nodded his head.

“Sounds good.”

“That’s my line.”

Simultaneously, we widened the distance and took our stances.

I drew the Martial Arts Sword while holding the Daoist Scholar’s Fan, and Baek Hasin aimed the Black Moon Sword and imbued the blade with powerful qi.

There was no need for a start signal. The moment we confirmed each other’s will, we moved without anyone having to go first.

I pressured the rushing Baek Hasin by firing three consecutive spears of flame lightning from the air, but they were all cut down by the Black Moon Sword.

“Cutting is not the only answer.”

Simultaneously, I exploded the cut spears of flame lightning and blew up the area along with Baek Hasin.

Hwaak-

Soon, Baek Hasin rushed out, piercing through the flames.

“The firepower is weak.”

And then, with the momentum of swinging the Black Moon Sword, he stomped his feet fiercely.

Kwaang!

“Something like this won’t work anymore.”

It seemed he had even seen through the trap magic with his qi sense.

‘I expected it.’

While dodging backwards, I exploded light magic to blind Baek Hasin’s eyes and then hid my presence by wrapping myself in shadow.

Floating spheres of flame light in all directions to make it hard to notice was a bonus.

It was a strategy specialized for 1-on-1 that I couldn’t use in the previous chaotic battle.

Towards the momentarily flinched Baek Hasin, I quickly flew the Flame Lightning First Blade Spear that I had prepared, wrapped in shadow.

Beon-jjeok-!

The First Blade flying, aiming for Baek Hasin’s blind spot. At that moment, Baek Hasin’s figure blurred.

Kaaaaaaang!

He had dodged to the side and deflected the First Blade with the Black Moon Sword, which was thickly imbued with powerful qi.

‘Did he detect the Flame Lightning First Blade Spear the moment it was shot and deflect its trajectory? I intentionally shot it in a curve, but to think he read that.’

It was an astonishing reaction speed.

I admired and at the same time reflected. If I had shot the Flame Lightning First Blade Spear from a closer distance, I could have hit him before he could even react.

Well, if I had done that, one of us, Baek Hasin or I, might have been seriously injured or even died.

As I was thinking that and preparing the next magic, Baek Hasin suddenly rushed this way with his eyes closed.

‘Did he notice even though I was wrapped in shadow?’

It seemed his qi sense had grown in the meantime and he had finally found this side. A crazy detection and growth ability.

If I entered a close-range battle like this, it would be dangerous.

I immediately kicked off the ground and brought out the prepared plan.

A switch to an aerial battle.

In an instant, my whole body quickly floated in the air. I was able to jump up to 10m in an instant by flying up quickly. It was only about the height of the treetops, but if I raised the altitude a little more…

At that moment, a black powerful qi of high speed flew threateningly from below.

I immediately tilted my body as if I had been waiting, half-dodged from the diagonal line, and blocked the rest with the retrieved First Blade and sword.

Compared to the powerful qi flown by the Demonic Cult’s Right Protector, Nam Jeong-hwan, it was much easier to block.

In fact, I had expected that if this side used psychokinesis, that side would fly a powerful qi.

He would first make me flinch with the powerful qi, and in the meantime, he would jump and shoot me down.

Feeling a gruesome sensation for a moment, I immediately released the psychokinesis, stepped on a shield, and moved to the side.

I could see Baek Hasin leaping towards me from below.

The sight of him rushing with black powerful qi wrapped around his sword and both arms was fear itself for a mage.

However, I on the contrary let out a laugh.

‘He made a mistake.’

For a martial artist to attempt an aerial battle against a mage, not even a ground battle, and without a proper foothold.

I immediately shot the prepared ultra-high pressure water stream. A stream of water with the power to cut even a rock.

He probably didn’t expect water to come out from here. Because I had only used fire until now.

In an instant, Baek Hasin’s expression hardened.

He couldn’t cut a stream of water with that much speed and mass in the air.

Nevertheless, the guy swung the Black Moon Sword at an incredibly fast speed and cut it.

‘He’s crazy.’

Baek Hasin, who was getting wet but was blowing away the stream of water in planes.

It was amazing, but this was a world where the principle of action and reaction strictly applied. Taking advantage of the gap where his rushing speed decreased, this time I planted an electric magic.

Pa-ji-ji-jik!

A high-voltage current that seemed to tear through his protective qi covered Baek Hasin and finally stopped him in the air.

Baek Hasin, who was suddenly thrown 10m up in the air without a foothold. For a martial artist, it was the most vulnerable state.

I did not miss that opportunity.

I immediately poured in a huge amount of mana and activated an ice magic.

Ice Flower.

In an instant, sharp ice flowers bloom around Baek Hasin as if to swallow him.

Pa-chang-!

Ice that shatters indiscriminately according to the trajectory of the Black Moon Sword.

But I knew that I couldn’t restrain the opponent with just this much.

I immediately shot a light magic. A halo of light that reflected off the ice fragments and flashed as if to burn Baek Hasin’s vision in an instant.

I had blocked it by wrapping myself in shadow, so it didn’t matter, but it seemed it wasn’t the same for Baek Hasin, the person in question.

He was not just closing his eyes, but protecting his vision with one hand wrapped in demonic qi.

A perfect situation. Baek Hasin was slowly falling to the ground.

Now was the time to land the final blow.

Currently, Baek Hasin was in a state where detection was difficult due to the ice fragments and yin energy that filled the surroundings.

I immediately shot a Flame Lightning First Blade Spear at the blind spot of the unstable Baek Hasin, as if plunging down from the sky.

Kaaaaaang-!

But he blocked this again. A gruesome talent.

However, this time the result was different.

As he had to rapidly draw up his internal energy from a precarious posture, I could see that his black powerful qi was shaking unstably, as if he had suffered an internal injury for a moment.

Now was the time.

The time to bet everything.

I maintained the firepower of the Flame Lightning First Blade Spear, stepped on the shields I had made in layers, and was shot at high speed toward the ground.

An accelerating world. Before I knew it, I was rushing toward Baek Hasin like a comet and bringing my sword down.

We, who were entangled in the air, are slammed into the ground.

Kwaaaang!

Even in that situation, Baek Hasin counterattacked for a moment and it was dangerous, but thanks to forcing him to protect his vitals by flying the Second Blade at his neck with the psychokinesis that had been activated from the moment I stopped maintaining the shield, I was able to bring my sword down from an advantageous position.

Baek Hasin, who was on one knee on the ground, barely blocking the Martial Arts Sword that had come to his neck.

But this wasn’t the end.

Hwa-reuk-

The Martial Arts Sword is engulfed in flames.

The petals of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art, which had unfolded according to the form, are imbued with flames, and the force of the downward strike grows stronger.

However, this side has sword qi and flames, and that side has powerful qi. If it goes to a battle of sword power, that side is at an advantage.

Normally, that is.

Just then, a wind blows.

Flame Transformation.

Flames made of magic burn Baek Hasin. Of course, without burning me, the caster.

“…With this much!”

Baek Hasin is enduring with his protective qi, but my real aim was something else.

A third power, neither magic nor swordsmanship.

The First Blade flies toward Baek Hasin’s temple.

Kaaang!

Baek Hasin, who quickly deflects me and blocks the First Blade. I persistently stuck to him, who was trying to get up from a half-kneeling position, and thrust my sword again.

I pressured him again, who had to block the Martial Arts Sword by just changing his wrist trajectory without even having time to manage his posture or energy.

Just then, the First Blade, which had been deflected far away, flies again.

This time, while absorbing even the flames that were burning Baek Hasin’s body, it drew a spiral trajectory of flames.

It rushed in.

“……!”

Baek Hasin, with his eyes wide open, tried to deflect me by making his energy go berserk again this time, but this time I gritted my teeth and endured.

The beginning of the super-peak level and the proficient peak level. Although there was a gap, if the situation was well set up, I could somehow endure a single exchange.

‘It’s the end!’

In a critical situation, the crossing gazes and the shot Flame Lightning First Blade Spear. In that, I could feel the words of Mi Tae-eul from the past.

The power of boldness and integrity.

The difference between a blow that risks everything in a desperate moment and a move that doesn’t is absolute.

Just like now.

The Flame Lightning First Blade Spear pierces Baek Hasin’s head.

It seemed so.

Perhaps it would have been so.

If it weren’t for Mi Tae-eul’s sword, which had intervened right before the illusion created by the ray of light became a reality.

Kaaaaaaang!

At the thrust imbued with a huge amount of energy, the First Blade was deflected, and even the hot energy of the area was blown away in one go.

‘That’s a relief.’

I almost killed him. No, maybe we would have died together.

I looked down at Baek Hasin, who was standing half-crushed under my sword. A black powerful qi of a tremendous energy was rising from him.

Surprisingly, at the tip of the Martial Arts Sword, which was confronting the Black Moon Sword, a crack had already formed.

Ka-deu-deuk-!

In a crisis, the Black Moon Sword had imbued itself with powerful qi and tried to shatter the Martial Arts Sword.

I was almost cut down together. But that was just a hypothesis.

The last move was clearly faster on this side.

“…The victory of the duel goes to Zhuge Cheonwu.”

With Mi Tae-eul’s declaration, I withdrew my sword, and Baek Hasin released his black powerful qi.

His gloomy eyes looked somewhat frustrated, but what could he do, this was reality.

But even though the battle was over, my mind was strangely clear. My movements also felt much lighter.

It wasn’t just because I had won, but a feeling as if I had shed a layer of something.

I raised my sword and performed a form on the spot.

The sword path was slightly different from before. No, even with the same movement, the understanding contained within it was different.

The moment I had landed a blow with everything on the line at the end, I felt like I had broken through a certain standard.

“You have reached the pinnacle of the peak.”

Just then, I heard Mi Tae-eul’s words. As he mentioned, it seemed my realm had risen by one level.

Growth due to a battle in a limit situation.

I was lucky in many ways.

“…With this, it’s 1 to 1.”

Just then, Baek Hasin put away the Black Moon Sword and left a word.

‘1 to 1, you say?’

He was probably referring to the miraculous victory he had achieved against me when my stamina was completely drained during the ranking competition.

But such a shabby past doesn’t matter. Because history is always written by the victors.

“Hmm, what did you say? I don’t know, since the recent record is 1 to 0? Isn’t the current level more important than the past? Hasin seems to have a tendency to cling to the past. How pathetic.”

“…There won’t be a next time.”

“Isn’t what’s not there your current skill? They say the loser has no words, but you have a lot to say.”

“……”

Baek Hasin was silent. Seeing his clenched fists, it seemed he strongly agreed.

“So who won?”

“That’s enough…!”

“Enough won?!”

“…Yes, you won.”

I nodded my head in satisfaction.

Yes, this is right.

***

A week passed.

In the hellish training supervised by Mi Tae-eul, I had experienced exhaustion several times and had improved my skills.

It was a time to learn how to use my abilities and how to unfold a battle with a master.

In the meantime, I had also fought close-range battles with Baek Hasin day and night, so my swordsmanship had also improved dramatically.

Of course, I hadn’t had a duel with Baek Hasin with a bet on the line since then.

For the first few days, it was because of the full-scale training, and for the remaining few days, it was on the pretext of adjusting my condition for the duel with Baek Yu-hwan.

The recent record was 1 to 0, an overwhelming advantage with a 100% win rate.

Anyway, such an obvious thing wasn’t important.

Unlike usual, after finishing only the morning training, the place we headed for was the large sparring ground for advanced students.

Because today, the duel between Baek Hasin and Baek Yu-hwan, with the fate of the Baek family on the line, was scheduled.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep