Kwaaang!
The South-North Union martial artists waiting by the riverside burst out, breaking the ground.
"You bastard! What did you just say!"
"How insolent!"
"Do you know who that person is to be running your mouth!"
A middle-aged man with long, disheveled black hair, a bald old man in monk's attire, and a blue-haired young man wearing an eyepatch over his right eye came running across the river, each tightly gripping a spear, harpoon, and sword respectively.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the three people emitting powerful auras among the South-North Union martial artists.
'Familiar faces.'
He remembered seeing their faces in the South-North Union roster he had studied before coming here.
They were the Black Wolf Branch Leader, White Mountain Branch Leader, and Martial Wolf Branch Leader - executives of the South-North Union who commanded the mountain and water divisions.
Though they were strong, he paid them no mind and focused his senses on Roman. There were others who would watch his back.
Kwaaaaaang!
Trevin, Burren, Runaan, and Martha emerged riding the wind and blocked the branch leaders.
"Hey! You bastards! Trying to ambush us? You wanna die?"
Martha ground her teeth and shot a fierce glare.
"It seems you can't escape your roots as thieves."
Burren clicked his tongue in a low voice.
"Shall I kill them?"
Even Runaan let out a chilling word while pressing her lips tightly.
"Step back. What are you doing in a one-on-one duel?"
Trevin frowned as he looked down at the three branch leaders.
Rimmer and Sheryl remained motionless by the riverside, as if keeping an eye on the two large, immobile branch leaders.
"You little brats! Get out of the way!"
The Black Wolf Branch Leader shouted, pushing against Trevin.
"Oh my. Must be nice to be old. Can you even straighten your back?"
Martha mocked the Black Wolf Branch Leader while lightly tapping her own waist.
The Zieghart swordsmen and South-North Union martial artists glared at each other through their crossed weapons, grinding their teeth.
"Black Wolf Branch Leader."
Axe King Roman raised the corner of his mouth as he looked at the Black Wolf Branch Leader.
"Did you call him insolent?"
"Yes! Three rounds, he says! He doesn't know his place! He's not worthy of your attention, Axe King..."
"You're the one who doesn't understand."
He shook his head firmly.
"The reason I kept him alive is precisely because of that insolence."
"What?"
"After I made the life-or-death promise with Raon Zieghart, there were countless fools who tried to survive the same way. But I didn't let a single one live. Do you know why?"
"Uh..."
The Black Wolf Branch Leader couldn't answer and trembled.
"It's because of those eyes. No one else showed that kind of madness."
Roman bared his white teeth as he looked at Raon.
"Madness?"
Raon frowned as if asking what he meant.
"Yes. Three years ago, when you spoke of a life-or-death battle here, your eyes held the conviction that you could defeat me. It was the gaze of a madman, different from the trash who only thought about escaping danger."
Roman burst into maniacal laughter as if he was overjoyed at this moment.
"Everyone, step back. Raon Zieghart has the right to speak to me like that."
"Ugh..."
"We... we're sorry."
As he waved his hand, the South-North Union martial artists, including the Black Wolf Branch Leader, bowed their heads.
"No need to apologize. It was quite entertaining as an appetizer. Wouldn't you agree, Raon Zieghart?"
"Yes. It wasn't bad."
Raon nodded calmly and looked back.
"You all go back too. Don't waste your energy unnecessarily, and watch the life-or-death battle to the end."
He relayed to the Light Wind division the same words Rimmer would say whenever someone was about to fight.
"Understood."
Burren bowed his head and returned to the left riverside with Martha, Runaan, and Trevin.
"Returning the three rounds. It seems you considered that a debt."
Roman massaged his shoulder and tilted his chin to the side.
"I don't think of it as a debt; it is literally a debt."
Raon nodded as he looked into Roman's interested eyes.
"Only after erasing that debt can I fight a life-or-death battle without hesitation."
"Then I suppose I must accept. You..."
Just as Roman was nodding, a gray warship appeared from the direction where the Black Cloud had been, cutting through the waves.
"That's..."
Raon frowned as he watched the approaching warship. An aura stronger than Roman's was rippling above the ship's signboard.
"It's the Vice Alliance Leader's ship."
Roman snorted and shook his head.
"I thought he wouldn't come, but he came after all."
He stomped his foot roughly as if displeased.
"The Vice Alliance Leader?"
"Yes. He's a thief through and through, so you'd better be careful."
Roman frowned as he warned about the Vice Alliance Leader.
"Not today, of course. If the Vice Alliance Leader tries anything, I'll stop him first, so don't worry."
He stepped back, telling Raon not to mind.
Kugugugugugu.
Moments later, a warship as large as the Black Cloud entered the riverside, and an old man with grayish-white hair stepped down, treading the air as if it were stairs.
The old man's face was etched with an unusually large number of wrinkles, but his body was built with solid muscles as if stacked with steel.
'So that's Helgroom, the Vice Leader of the South-North Alliance.'
As expected, he's a Transcendent Warrior.
Helgroom was a supreme master who had reached transcendence, befitting his position as the second-in-command of the South-North Alliance. The air seemed to sink with each step he took.
"..."
Helgroom's gaze, having reached the riverside, turned towards them. As Raon met those piercing eyes that seemed to penetrate his insides, his whole body tingled as if paralyzed.
'I withstood the Head of House's pressure, so this much is nothing.'
As he smiled coldly and resonated the Ring of Fire, the pressure Helgroom had exerted dissipated as if washed away.
"Hmm..."
Helgroom's eyes widened in surprise, then he sat down on an ornate-looking chair guided by the Black Wolf Branch Leader.
Raon was about to focus on Roman again when he suddenly stopped. Strangely, his gaze was drawn to the red-haired young man who had followed behind Helgroom.
'He's strong.'
Despite his apparent young age, the martial prowess he exuded was formidable. Though not at Roman's level, he was already a master who had surpassed mid-level Grandmaster.
'Was there someone like him?'
[Raon.]
As he was thinking how strange it was, Sheryl's aura message was heard.
[I'll stop whatever the Vice Alliance Leader tries to do. Focus on your battle with the Axe King.]
Raon turned to look at Sheryl and nodded.
'As the Heavenly Blade Division Leader says.'
Whether it was the Vice Alliance Leader or a hidden master, now was not the time to worry about others.
"Are there any more latecomers?"
Raon shrugged as he looked at the Lable River.
"Don't ruin the mood. If there's anyone else coming, call them now."
"There's no one. Even if the Alliance Leader comes, I won't stop, so don't worry about it."
Roman said he would continue fighting no matter who came, gripping his Red Dragon Axe tightly.
"Then let's begin."
Raon beckoned to Roman with a finger.
"A three-round duel. Honestly, I never even dreamed of this, but it sounds interesting."
As Roman raised the Red Dragon Axe above his head, an aura so powerful it sent chills down the spine surged forth.
The Lable River shook violently as if facing a typhoon.
"The first is the Falling Destruction Strike."
He swung down the Red Dragon Axe with enough force to split the Lable River. Dark red flames sprouted from the ominously split axe blade. It was the martial art he had seen behind Rimmer's back three years ago.
Chiiiiing!
Raon raised the Heavenly Drive towards the Red Dragon Axe that was descending as if to erase the river.
What dyed the white blade was Glacier's cold energy. A wave of frost, rippling blue, stood against the fierce axe.
Kuwaaaang!
A thunderous sound exploded as if the earth was splitting, but there was no change in the river's waves.
It meant that the cold energy imbued in the Heavenly Drive had absorbed all the power of the Red Dragon Axe.
"Is it the Fluid Sword?"
Roman lowered his eyebrows as he rested the Red Dragon Axe on his shoulder again.
"No, it's not just the Fluid Sword. You've mixed several techniques."
He rubbed his chin as if in understanding.
"You've incorporated the Fluid Sword, the Severing Sword, and even the Blunt Sword. Your skills have improved greatly."
"The same goes for you."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he shook off the lingering impact from his grip.
"Your axe technique, which used to pursue only power, now has balance."
Roman had always fought by overwhelming his opponents with power and speed, but today was different. He had added grace and subtlety to his axe technique, like a skilled swordsman.
'This is dangerous.'
He thought that if he made a mistake, he might die even before the life-or-death battle began.
However, even though it was dangerous, he couldn't stop.
'Because I owe a debt.'
Roman had accepted the condition of a life-or-death battle because Rimmer had not fallen in the three-round duel. (E/N: Imagine. You go outside. Someone semi-randomly attack you and try to kill you. You beg for your life. They say they won't kill you if you give them all your money. You give them all your money. They well, well, shit, gonna kill you anyway. You then beg again saying you can make money to give them even more. So they say, sure, I will come find you in three years, hope you have a lot of money by then. So three years later, you come, grateful, saying you made even more money than agreed to pay back the debt. Of course, they still are trying to kill you, and you have to fight for your survival. Sounds insane? That's what's happening right here.)
He needed to clear that debt first to fight the life-or-death battle without regrets.
"Come with the second."
Raon placed the Heavenly Drive at mid-level and nodded his chin.
"I was... just about to!"
Roman lifted the Red Dragon Axe with a savage smile. The dark red aura wrapping the axe blade condensed into a spherical form.
It was the Axe King's killing technique that amplified the power of the Astral Ring, the Howling Destruction.
Seuuuu.
Raon held his breath and tensed the wrist holding the Heavenly Drive. He stepped forward with his left foot, igniting a spark sharper than any blade.
Astral Ring against Astral Ring. A clash of sharpness and heaviness. The extreme forces created by the auras, not the sword and axe, tore at each other's breath.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
The energy condensed between the Heavenly Drive and the Red Dragon Axe exploded, sending the clear river water soaring into the sky.
Chwaaaaaaaa!
A shower of river water poured down, and dark clouds began to gather in the once-clear sky. The martial prowess of humans had affected the weather.
"Ugh..."
"Is he really in his early twenties? What the...!"
"Am I dreaming? To block Lord Roman's axe head-on..."
"So that's the Dragon Slayer, Raon Zieghart."
The South-North Union branch leaders trembled as they watched Raon stand firm against the Axe King's killing technique.
"That old man's energy is impressive. Hasn't he gotten stronger?"
"Right. He's on a different level compared to when he fought the three-round duel with our Vice Leader."
"This life-or-death battle won't be easy."
The Zieghart swordsmen also let out sighs as they witnessed Roman's overwhelming martial prowess.
"Kuhahahahaha!"
Roman burst into fiery laughter as he swept back his rain-soaked hair.
"I'm getting more and more excited! It was worth waiting for three years!"
He curled his lips as he held the Red Dragon Axe to his side.
Gooooo!
As red energy blazed over the blade of the Red Dragon Axe, it became hard to breathe. The dark red Astral Ring swelled as if out of control, and a spiraling rotation that twisted the air occurred.
"This is the final Heaven-Shaking Axe Strike!"
As Roman brought down the Red Dragon Axe, the Astral Ring compressed on the blade stretched out into a massive beam of light. It was a bombardment of monstrous power created through martial arts.
Chiiiing!
Raon thrust out his right foot and right hand simultaneously as if stabbing. He extended the Heavenly Drive, channeling the strength rising from his ankle through the muscles of his waist and back.
Hwaaaa!
The sphere of flames condensed at the sword's tip shot out with a terrifying wave.
Raon Zieghart-style Sword Technique.
Second Form: Heavy Sky Cannon.
As the Heavy Sky Cannon, built up with human power, collided head-on with the rotating Heaven-Shaking Axe Strike, the entire Lable River shook, and the river water bubbled and boiled as if evaporating.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
The auras of Raon and Roman, which had grown to the size of small mountains, seemed to reach their limit and cracked, causing a massive explosion that threatened to crush heaven and earth.
The river water surged like an ocean, and a storm poured down.
"M-monsters."
"The sky is filled with dark clouds..."
"And they say this isn't even the beginning?"
The South-North Union martial artists trembled as they watched the rain pouring down.
"Three rounds."
Raon lowered the Heavenly Drive. He raised his chin while clenching his trembling grip.
"I've received them."
"I acknowledge it."
Roman nodded calmly.
"There is no debt between you and me now."
He also nodded as he lifted the Red Dragon Axe with a trembling grip.
"Hoo..."
Raon let out a breath as he loosened his still-tingling shoulders.
'He's strong.'
Through the three-round duel, he clearly realized it. The current Roman was certainly standing at a higher place than him.
It was an unexpected situation, but strangely, it made him smile.
"You seem to be enjoying this as much as me."
Roman grinned, showing his teeth as he looked at the smiling Raon. He raised the Red Dragon Axe above his head and stepped forward with his right foot.
"Yes. I don't know why, but it makes me smile."
Raon nodded and bent his knees, drawing the Heavenly Drive back behind his left shoulder.
Gooooooo!
Raon and Roman remained motionless after assuming their battle stances, as if time had stopped.
Even after 10 seconds, 1 minute, 10 minutes, and 30 minutes passed, neither of them moved a finger.
The only thing that changed was their aura. The auras of the two martial artists continued to rise endlessly, causing dense lightning in the air.
"Why aren't they moving?"
"Because they know each other's skill."
"Right. If they make even a small wrong move, their head could fly off."
"Are they evenly matched?"
"I don't know. Just watching them makes it hard to breathe..."
The Zieghart swordsmen and South-North Union martial artists swallowed dry saliva, unable to take their eyes off the standoff between Raon and Roman.
Ppajijjik!
The moment the spark condensed between the river banks caused an intense explosion, Raon and Roman moved.
Kuwaaaang!
Their bodies, shot like lightning, collided at the center of the Lable River, causing a massive shockwave.