Chapter 148

Chapter 149. The Tip of the Iceberg (4)

The bombardment that seemed like it would bring the world to an end had finally stopped.

A thick layer of dust covered the entire deserted island. From the sky, all sorts of debris and fragments, caught in the explosion, came tumbling down.

The spectators watching this were on the verge of going mad with curiosity about what had just happened.

“What on earth is going on…….”

“Ke, Keter shot an arrow into the sky… and it kept growing bigger, and in the blink of an eye, it became huge. And then, boom! It exploded, and… I saw arrows of light raining down to the ground…….”

“Is that something an archer, no, a knight can do?”

“It’s magic. That’s definitely magic!”

“Wasn’t magic forbidden in our country?”

“Even if it’s magic, for a mage to be capable of something like that… just how powerful must they be?”

The reactions of the spectators varied, but one thing was the same.

So, what happens next?

Is everyone dead? Has the deserted island disappeared?

Whether Keter used magic or is a great sorcerer, everyone was eager to see the outcome.

Even the high-ranking nobles were no different. They too were blinking their eyes like primitive people who had just discovered something new, with dumbfounded expressions.

What on earth did Keter just do?

The technique he displayed had already far surpassed the realm of archery. It surpassed even magic.

Keter, who wielded a technique that was neither aura nor magic.

“Se, Sephira’s archery is that incredible……!”

The nobles thought that Keter’s archery must surely be the Sephira’s Celestial Twelve Palaces.

After all, in this country, Sephira is the best when it comes to archery, and even across other nations, Sephira is among the top five.

Then, why hasn’t Sephira shown such a technique until now?

Who knows!

But one thing is certain. Just by seeing that one technique, Sephira is definitely not a weak family!

If that technique had been used not on a deserted island but in a city center or a vast battlefield, what would have happened?

‘At least thousands would have died.’

There are magics with similar power and range to Keter’s.

But magic has tells. Gathering mana, drawing a magic circle, chanting spells. There are always ‘preliminary signs.’

But Keter’s Heaven Explosion Fire Rain has none. It’s what you’d call a magic without casting—a magic without the usual drawbacks.

The perception and evaluation of the Sephira family are changing rapidly.

“…If Keter, who’s only eighteen, has such power, just how incredible must Anis and Taragon’s techniques be?”

At the same time, the evaluation of Anis and Taragon also rose. Of course, they too were equally stunned by the overwhelming divine power Keter had just displayed.

“…Can that even be called archery?”

Mail had mixed feelings after hearing Keter’s statement that ‘archery is stronger than swordsmanship.’

It was a bold statement that showed pride in archery, but it also carried a terrifying implication of turning all swordsmen in the world into enemies.

But before the echoes of that statement could fade, Keter suddenly shot an arrow into the sky.

It seemed like a trivial action, but the arrow grew immensely in the blink of an eye, and soon exploded, raining down bombardment on the ground.

Anis muttered Keter’s name with a trembling voice.

“Just… what are you, Keter?”

Then, the dust in the screen began to clear. The mages managing the tournament used wind magic to sweep away the dust.

What was revealed was the deserted island…….

Surprisingly, it was intact.

Though the mountains, rivers, and vegetation had been swept away, the shape of the island remained preserved. Many of the participants, who were expected to be dead, were still standing unharmed.

Of course, not everyone was unscathed. Knights who were technically or mentally inferior were swept away by the bombardment and suffered injuries that left them nearly incapable of fighting.

About 20 of them. Most were 1 or 2-star knights.

Thus, about half of the 90 participants survived, and now they were all staring at one person.

The one who caused this situation, Keter.

Keter, who was the center of attention for all the participants, spoke with a sly smile.

“Oh dear, my aura’s all drained. If someone attacks me before I recover, I’m in big trouble.”

Even though Keter voluntarily revealed that his aura was completely depleted, the knights didn’t rush in recklessly. Instead, with the utmost caution of their lives, they slowly closed the distance.

It’s not that they didn’t believe his aura was drained. The technique that turned a deserted island the size of a small city into a wasteland—if he still had aura left after using that, he wouldn’t be human.

But the knights who had witnessed Keter’s divine power couldn’t bring themselves to act, despite being able to think rationally.

Having witnessed such an overwhelming spectacle, they couldn’t overcome their awe and fear, and thus became timid.

‘He deliberately revealed himself, drawing everyone’s attention with such a technique. Why would he do something so insane unless he didn’t want to die? That composure isn’t a bluff. He’s serious. And he must have prepared for this.’

Contrary to the knights’ thoughts, Keter was telling the truth. He really had used up all his aura. That’s why he told them to attack now. This is when I’m at my weakest.

But that very composure made the knights even more cautious, and Keter shook his head.

“Even a turtle would be faster than you guys. *Yawn*, I’m going to take a nap, so wake me up when you get here.”

*Thud.*

“……!”

“This is unbelievable!”

The knights trembled as they watched Keter actually lie down.

To disregard us to this extent?!

Even if the opponent is strong, a knight is someone who would willingly risk their life for their honor and pride.

Keter is undoubtedly a formidable opponent, but to endure such humiliation and do nothing would tarnish their honor as knights.

Tens of thousands of spectators are watching. Hundreds of nobles, the upper nobles who are the real powers of the nation, are watching this tournament.

Not just that! Even Lord Eslow, the monarch, is interested in this tournament. He might be watching right now. All of this!

We can’t just stand still. We must punish that arrogant Keter immediately!

“…….”

“…….”

The knights’ expressions were filled with determination, as if they were about to charge at any moment, but their feet were still slow.

‘I don’t want to be Keter’s first target.’

There’s nothing more embarrassing than charging in bravely only to be embarrassingly eliminated.

At least if we put up a fight against Keter, we can hear people say, ‘We lost, but we fought well.’

The surviving knights were smart. And now, that intelligence was weighing heavily on their entire bodies.

“Ha, ha.”

“Huff, huff…….”

Keter was still lying down leisurely with his legs crossed, while the knights’ breathing only grew rougher.

The knights were on the mountainside. There were no trees or bushes. They were scarce to begin with, but Keter had blown them all away.

So if they were determined, they could reach the summit where Keter was in just five or six leaps.

About 200 meters in distance, 5 to 7 seconds in time.

Short. Not long.

The knights knew this well. They knew, but…….

‘It’s… far. It feels so far away.’

Slowly, slowly.

The knights at the front couldn’t back down or stop now, so they slowed their pace to a crawl.

The spectators’ expressions were on the verge of showing irritation rather than tension—

“What are you all hesitating for!”

A knight’s shout snapped everyone back to attention.

What woke the frightened knights was a young 4-star knight. He stepped forward and said,

“Prince Keter is a strong one we all acknowledge. We can’t give him time to recover!”

This 4-star knight had no connection to Gilahind. That’s why he shouted, thinking the other participants were hesitating because they felt it was wrong for many to attack one.

Though unintended, his words gave courage to the knights who misunderstood, and they began to agree.

“That’s right, with someone as strong as him, we’ll never win if not now.”

“Now that his aura’s drained is our only chance!”

“Let’s go!”

*Clatter clatter clatter!*

Finally, the knights began to charge. They didn’t seem confident, but they no longer showed any signs of retreating.

Keter, who glanced down from above, clicked his tongue.

“No, no. You’re not the ones I want.”

Keter, who had gotten up leisurely, now held an Aura Bow in his hand.

He pulled the bowstring. At his fingertips, an Aura Arrow naturally formed.

*Twang.*

A lightly shot Aura Arrow. It was aimed at the knights charging towards Keter.

The knights didn’t underestimate Keter. Underestimating Keter, who had blown away an entire deserted island, would mean there’s something wrong with their heads.

Just as the knights on the opposite side of where Keter shot the arrow were on high alert.

“Do I still look like an ordinary archer to you?”

Celestial Infinity Technique, 5th Form.

‘Splitting Arrow.’

The Aura Arrow Keter shot split into two as it flew.

Those two split into four—

Four split into eight…….

This process repeated eight times.

The single arrow that started it all endlessly split left and right, becoming 256 arrows, and soon fanned out to cover the knights ahead.

“What the hell, this is insane!”

“He still has that much aura left?!”

The knights panicked and began to deflect the arrows by infusing their swords with aura. They couldn’t dodge because of the momentum from their charge.

*Clang clang! Ting ting!*

The knights frantically deflected the arrows.

Since they weren’t careless and did their best, they managed to deflect the arrows somehow.

This was possible because, despite the large number of arrows, only two or three arrows were aimed at each individual.

“Ha, haha! We blocked it! We blocked all of them! We blocked Sephira’s arrows!”

They cheered at having blocked Keter’s Aura Arrows. Though their wrists were trembling from the effort, if they blocked it once, they could block it again, right?

However, they had forgotten one thing.

There’s no reason for an archer to shoot only once.

*Twang twang twang!*

Keter fired seven Splitting Arrows in rapid succession.

All seven split as they flew. The knights’ minds went blank.

Keter spoke to them.

“Nice blocking. Try blocking this too.”

“Ugh, ughhhh!”

The knights gave up trying to count the arrows flying towards them. No, it was impossible to count.

A total of 1,792 arrows rained down on the knights.