Chapter 78
Chaeng! Chang!
Amidst the resonating clang of swords, a rough gasp escaped Lakradiyon after clashing with Nakcheon for quite a while.
Could it be that her lifelong dedication to the sword was not a lie?
Lakradiyon stood her ground against Nakcheon, receiving his strikes head-on.
However, her body kept accumulating wounds.
This was due to the nature of Thunderous Fury.
Every time their swords met, the shockwaves from the thunder-like aura would inflict damage on Lakradiyon, beyond just the clashes.
As a result, Lakradiyon had to constantly envelop herself in aura, which was being consumed at a rapid pace.
If she had an abundance of aura like Charlotte, it might’ve been different. But for Lakradiyon, whose aura was slightly above the average level, it was like a stream compared to a lake.
Thus, her thin aura couldn’t fully block the effects of Thunderous Fury.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
Screech!
In a brief moment of focus, Lakradiyon managed to slice Nakcheon’s arm.
But the severed limb instantly regenerated.
This characteristic was precisely why Nakcheon was deemed an indomitable monster.
Supported by the Demon Palace, he had an endless regenerative ability that allowed even a severed head to restore itself.
Die as many times as one might, and he would keep coming back, even while using Thunderous Fury with infinite aura at his disposal.
Given that, it was no surprise that countless others had despaired before him.
Just considering Nakcheon was already pushing the limits, the existence of his immortality made it even worse.
Everyone naturally abandoned hope of reaching the ninth floor.
Yet, Lakradiyon stood before such a Nakcheon.
The one who had once crumbled under pressure.
Clang!
With another echoing sound of metal, the shockwaves that burst forth cut into Lakradiyon.
Feeling breathless as if her lungs were torn, she gripped her sword tightly and deflected Nakcheon’s attack.
While her wounds weren’t severe, the accumulated injuries had made her garments soaked in blood, and she felt her consciousness fading due to blood loss and exhaustion.
‘Just a bit more.’
Yet she forced her fading senses to hold on.
And once more, she braced herself against Nakcheon’s sword.
‘Just a bit more.’
Lakradiyon felt as though all the sounds and movements around her vanished.
She focused entirely on Nakcheon before her.
Maybe that’s why her sword movements became swifter than usual.
She understood where her sword had to point to effectively transmit its power to the enemy.
And if she needed to create openings to buy more time, which forms of swordsmanship she should adopt to counter them.
Various thoughts filled her body.
It was a moment of realization.
It was like taking a step onto a wall to propel upwards.
Although many steps remained to reach the summit, she had solidly ascended a bit higher once again.
“Ha.”
Lakradiyon swallowed a short laugh.
So this was it.
She had swung her sword all this time to see such a world.
Finally, she realized why she had yearned for growth in swordsmanship.
Chak!
With the impact of blade clashing, chunks of flesh flew off to the ground.
Still, it wasn’t enough to defeat Nakcheon.
But a path appeared before her.
Taking careful steps was her specialty.
That alone constituted a tremendous achievement.
“So, Kraush.”
Lakradiyon made her voice heard amidst the surrounding black flames.
“You don’t need to worry about me any longer.”
Tak! Crack!
The sound of flames bursting rang out.
At that moment, the black flames surged throughout the carriage, consuming everything.
The vehicle collapsed, revealing the barren ground beneath.
In the blink of an eye, Nakcheon and Lakradiyon’s figures began to fall.
With numerous injuries and exhaustion taking their toll, Lakradiyon could do nothing as they descended.
And when she closed her eyes, she realized someone had caught her instead of hitting the ground.
Bammm!
It was none other than Kraush.
Though slightly shorter than her, he effortlessly caught Lakradiyon, bracing himself against the fall.
Kraush set her down gently.
As she stumbled and lowered her head, she murmured, “Thank you for waiting.”
Lakradiyon sensed that Kraush had already burnt down the entire carriage.
But Kraush had been patient.
He realized Lakradiyon was growing in this moment.
Had she been the prodigy soaring through the skies, she would’ve taken flight immediately. Instead, she stood somewhere between being above the average and below the genius level.
Thus, the step she took was nearly invisible to others.
However, Kraush could see that step clearly.
He understood the effort he had also invested for that very step.
“Good work.”
With Lakradiyon behind him, Kraush began to stride across the fields.
This was the outside of the Demon Palace.
It was an unknown expanse of plains.
Fortunately, there was no sign of the Armed Princess.
The carriage must have traveled far away, given the change in terrain after crashing.
Amidst the smoke from the wreckage, an elderly figure appeared, standing in the field.
The old man, extending Thunderous Fury, had a collapsed chest, ribs clearly visible.
He looked like a gust of wind would knock him over at any moment.
And well, it made sense.
The elderly being, who had extended his life through the Demon Palace, had begun using up his own vitality once he stepped outside.
He no longer possessed infinite regeneration or vitality.
Outside the Demon Palace, Nakcheon was simply an old man skillfully handling his sword.
‘If he had come out after a few more years, he would have just crumbled away.’
According to Verokin, Nakcheon had fallen dead the moment the carriage broke, as he had run out of all vitality.
It was certain that, by that time, not a drop of his life force remained.
Thanks to that, Verokin could easily obtain Thunderous Fury.
But now, Nakcheon had not crumbled as he did back then.
It meant he still retained a bit of life force.
“There seems to be no need for conversation.”
Now, Nakcheon was no longer bound by the Demon Palace.
His mind had surely returned, too.
But without words, he aimed his sword at Kraush, responding instead.
In Nakcheon’s eyes, the red glow flickered as he glared at Kraush.
As if he were ready to burn away the last remnants of his life in this final battle.
A life that would end either way.
Was he resolved to die fighting as a swordsman?
How self-centered.
‘Perhaps…’
He might be seeking to confirm whether Kraush was worthy of standing with Thunderous Fury one last time.
‘Just a thought.’
Kraush readied his Sword Demon’s Fusion Technique and lowered his stance.
If they wished to fight, he’d gladly oblige.
There was something he wanted to test too.
In that moment, Nakcheon sprang forward, charging at the ground.
Golden aura erupted from Thunderous Fury, radiating its presence overwhelmingly.
Facing him, Kraush did the unexpected—he closed his eyes.
Smack!
In that moment, a spark ran through Kraush’s body.
As the brief spark slipped by, Chaeng!
Kraush’s sword, drawn before he knew it, met Nakcheon’s steel.
Surprised, Nakcheon’s eyes barely opened; he quickly retracted Thunderous Fury and went for yet another strike.
Chaeng! Chaeng! Chaeng!
And thus, Nakcheon’s swordplay began.
Like a wraith with a blade, the strikes raining from Nakcheon were akin to a torrential downpour.
Amidst the furious downpour, Kraush calmly received every strike, even with his eyes closed.
And that wasn’t all.
Despite the inherent damage from Thunderous Fury, Kraush bore no injuries whatsoever.
Because he was channeling the impact of Thunderous Fury through his sword.
Nakcheon’s brow furrowed.
He was the one attacking, yet Kraush increasingly pushed forward.
An utterly incomprehensible situation unfolded before Nakcheon’s eyes.
‘It’s possible.’
As Kraush absorbed Nakcheon’s attacks with his closed eyes, he felt an even stronger presence.
Crackle!
His instincts thinly spread out, picking up the mere threads of aura.
The spark from Lyoner continued to provide electrical signals to Kraush.
That signal constantly sensed everything, even the subtle auras around him.
And with that connection to his intuition, now enhanced by Lyoner, it effortlessly conveyed information to him.
The moment his welding technique was combined with his instincts, Kraush stepped into an entirely different realm.
‘One meter.’
In the space of a single stride.
This space, where intuition and Lyoner converged, gave birth to a brand-new domain.
Thunderclap.
It was the newly born realm of the Passive Presence that reacted explosively to everything.
“Grrr!”
As Nakcheon saw Kraush inching closer, he let out a fierce sound from his throat.
He realized that this alone wouldn’t breach Kraush’s defenses.
So Nakcheon decided to change his approach.
Boom!
The clash of Kraush’s blade against Nakcheon’s sent powerful shockwaves through the air.
Despite using the Passive Presence to release pressure, the impact reached him nonetheless.
“Ha, this crazy old man.”
Kraush had a look of disbelief in response.
The deep wrinkles on Nakcheon’s face expanded in an instant.
But at the cost, Nakcheon’s Thunderous Fury surged more intensely than before.
The source of life known as Innate Qi.
He was now burning that essence to elevate the final spark, inflaming his fury.
“Since my life is ending anyway, is this it!”
With a loud shout, Kraush raised the Flame Erosion Technique.
If their side resorted to using Innate Qi, he could respond with genuine intent.
As the heat of the Flame Erosion Technique penetrated deeply into the farthest corners of Kraush’s body, he reached an explosive second phase, altering his sword movements.
Bang!
The successive booms made it impossible to perceive that the duel was taking place with mere swords.
It turned into a pure, raw power confrontation.
Kraush’s blood-red gaze belched smoke as he finally clashed with Nakcheon.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sweat beads flew.
Even with the Flame Erosion Technique in play, his bones rattled, and his muscles screamed as if they were tearing apart.
The heat from the technique felt as though his insides might cook at any moment.
And it was the same for Nakcheon.
The burnt vitality flickered away, draining life from his form, his skin darkening at an alarming rate.
The muscles tethered to his arms withered away, exposing mere skeletal remains.
Yet, the aura bestowed from Nakcheon intensified the golden blaze of Thunderous Fury.
And upon Kraush’s murky blade, black flames surged, threatening to consume everything.
The golden light and black flames clashed once again, igniting the area around them.
Watching this from a distance, Lakradiyon could only gaze in awe.
She knew both men were pushing beyond human limits.
Boom!
Amidst the deafening explosions, Kraush gripped his sword with all his might.
‘Just one more second.’
That was the time granted by the accelerated body through the Flame Erosion Technique.
Simultaneously, Kraush sensed that Nakcheon had also reached his limit.
The next exchange would be their last.
As both realized this fact, Nakcheon’s sword moved first.
His blade reached a white radiance that surpassed golden hues.
That intent to cleave through anything embodied in the blade was Nakcheon’s very life force.
Even the atmosphere seemed to quiver at that ominous light, as if Nakcheon had transcended the human realm for that fleeting moment.
Lakradiyon felt her hair stand on end just witnessing it.
Even from afar, she neared the understanding.
That clash could kill Kraush in one blow.
“Kraush!”
As she screamed his name in desperation, Kraush found himself immersed in an extraordinary stillness.
Deep within Kraush’s mind.
A droplet fell onto a boundless lake, causing ripples to bloom.
It was the trial Kraush underwent in reaching the unity of sword and spirit.
Yet, this journey felt entirely different from before.
Above the seething flames, a bolt of lightning burst forth.
Upon the blade held high, the lightning seemed to cradle it like a sword sheath.
At once, within that sheath, Kraush’s black flames began to surge wildly within.
Within the lightning sheath, the Sword Demon’s Fusion Technique combined with his flames.
That power became progressively stronger until it reached a tempest.
The weight of the sword felt like it could explode at any moment.
Nevertheless, Kraush grimaced, grinding through it with every ounce of his strength.
At long last, as the tempest reached its apex, Kraush’s eyes flared as the lightning sheath ruptured.
Flash!
In an instant, the burst of light engulfed everything in its vicinity.
The black flame storm emerged, finally breaking forth into the world.
Flame Erosion Technique
Third Form
Flame Erosion: Heavenly Lightning!
It was the moment when black flames and lightning’s storm devoured all light.
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