Chapter 149

Chapter 150. The Tip of the Iceberg (5)

“Give me more Elixir! It’s a critical injury!”

“This side is also on the verge of death!”

The Tournament Officials poured Elixir on the knights who were bleeding profusely from their bodies. All of them were knights who had been injured during Keter’s split attack.

The officials looked at Keter, who was still sitting at the top of the mountain, as if he were a monster.

Was it because Keter was too strong?

No.

In another aspect, they were horrified.

‘How is it possible to not kill a single person? In such a tense situation?’

All the fallen knights had suffered critical injuries. But no one had died. They were wounds that could be healed if enough Elixir was poured.

‘Did he control his strength even while being surrounded?’

Of course, according to the tournament rules, killing between participants is prohibited-

But the tournament is no child’s play. When you get caught up in the fight, emotions run high, and it’s not uncommon for someone to die.

If both sides fought with the resolve to die, it was an old custom of the tournament not to question it if one side died.

But Keter didn’t kill anyone. That was even more insane than killing everyone.

‘He’s a monster. How could such a monster be hiding in Sephira?’

It wasn’t just the officials who thought that. The spectators watching this scene and the tournament participants also thought the same.

“He still has Aura left? Even if he were a Master with a hundred years’ worth of Aura… it’s impossible to waste Aura like that!”

A 4-Star Knight muttered. As he said, the Aura a human can possess is not infinite.

A wide-area attack that swept the entire deserted island.

Thousands of Aura Arrows.

This is something even Basil, the Lord of Sephira, couldn’t do.

Moreover, Keter still seemed to have plenty of energy left.

Of course. Keter didn’t just use Aura. His archery, the Celestial Infinity Technique, was created with the premise of using both Aura and Mana together.

In other words, he optimized the consumption of Aura by appropriately mixing it with Mana.

Also, the quantity of Aura isn’t what’s important. Quality is more important. Keter accumulated Aura and Mana solely through the technique of ‘survival of the fittest,’ and the purity of the Aura and Mana he accumulated was close to 99 percent.

But Keter wasn’t satisfied with this. He refined this Aura and Mana once again. Filtering and filtering until it reached a level where it could no longer be compressed.

That’s why Keter didn’t use as much Aura as the other knights thought. When others would need to use ten years’ worth, he could achieve the same result with just one month’s worth.

‘Of course, it’s not a lie that I used all my Aura in the Celestial Infinity Technique. It’s just that you guys were too slow to recover.’

Even before undergoing his transformation, Keter’s Aura recovery speed was faster than others.

But after undergoing the transformation, this speed gained tremendous acceleration. What others needed a day of rest to replenish, he could recover in just one hour.

Moreover, Keter’s Aura was on a completely different level from other knights.

To use a metaphor, if other knights’ Aura were like houses quickly and largely built with straw, Keter’s house was a steel house with no gaps for even a drop of water to enter.

The other knights also ‘vaguely’ felt this. Keter was different. Just as herbivores that eat grass are different, like rabbits and elephants.

Commands, pride, excitement. Various factors were dulling the knights’ senses, but after seeing Keter’s split attack, they realized the reality.

In one word…

‘They were scared.’

Keter, with the Aura Bow slung over his shoulder, shook his head.

‘Well, I thought it might get a little interesting, so I showed just a taste, but have they already broken?’

He had only shown two techniques. But the aggressive momentum was gone, and now the knights were stepping back, eyeing each other.

“Ah, boring.”

It was then that Keter nocked an arrow on his bowstring again.

The knights split to the left and right, making way. Through the gap, one person walked towards Keter.

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for you.”

Keter smiled happily as he watched the knight walking towards him.

Barefoot, yet taller than the knights wearing boots, with red hair, and wielding twin swords, there was only one person like that.

“The Witch of the Sword has arrived!”

The knights cheered, calling out Henya’s title.

She approached Keter slowly, with her twin swords hanging from her arms. Keter aimed an arrow at her and said,

“Why are you so late?”

“It took longer than I thought to find my swords.”

The twin swords Henya held were not the level 5 Magical Tool ‘Cerberus’ she had used before. According to the tournament rules, she couldn’t bring it. The swords she held were famous swords made of Orichalcon, but they were just sturdy with no additional functions.

The same went for her armor. It wasn’t ‘Rainbow Black.’ Just a light leather armor that firmly balanced her body.

Clomp, clomp.

Henya’s hair, which had been walking indifferently, suddenly stood on end.

No questions asked. Henya closed the distance to Keter in an instant without any further conversation. It was an incredible speed. Keter seemed unable to react, unable to release the bowstring.

Just before Henya’s twin swords pierced Keter’s shoulders-

Whoosh!

Henya suddenly twisted her body and retreated.

The watching knights thought Henya had gained the upper hand. That’s how it seemed. But why did she suddenly retreat? They wondered.

But not everyone missed the truth.

Pasian, the Red Wolf. Like his nickname, he was watching for an opportunity like a wolf, and he saw it.

‘Keter. What a strong heart. To kick in such a situation.’

Keter seemed to have not reacted at all to Henya’s charge and thrust, but that wasn’t the case.

He kicked Henya’s abdomen with a kick filled with Aura. Even if Henya blocked it with her Aura Armor, the destructive power was enough to crush her internal organs.

If Henya hadn’t retreated-

‘Mutual destruction. Both would have been seriously injured. In a way, it’s like the Witch of the Sword lost the momentum battle.’

For a swordsman, the minimum distance needed to cut an opponent is two meters. But because Henya suddenly twisted her body and retreated, she ended up farther from Keter than necessary.

‘If it were me, even if my internal organs ruptured from the kick, I would have cut Keter’s arm in return.’

Pasian was ready to step in even now, but he didn’t take action.

Why would he?

Henya, the daughter of the Weapon Master, is a 5-Star Master, as everyone knows.

Although unknown, Keter is also a strong 5-Star Master. He must be one of the top five strongest in this tournament.

If they fought each other and suffered serious injuries, it would be a huge benefit for Pasian.

‘Moreover, if I watch a little longer, I might see a weakness.’

At first, Pasian thought Keter was a martial artist, but after seeing the archery he showed later, he flexibly changed his plan.

‘If the Witch of the Sword creates an opening, I’ll take advantage of it.’

Pasian was a knight, but he was far from being honorable.

Born a mercenary, he was a man who could ambush even if he was called cowardly, as long as he could win.

* * *

The fight between Henya and Keter was something no one had ever seen before.

It wasn’t just archery and twin swordsmanship clashing.

An archer who uses a bow and arrows made of Aura is extremely rare. Especially since Sephira has avoided battles, not only commoners but even nobles have rarely seen such a thing.

Thud thud thud thud thud!

Aura Arrows were fired madly from the Aura Bow. The entire motion of taking an arrow from the quiver and nocking it on the bowstring was omitted.

Just grab the bowstring and pull. That’s the advantage of the Aura Bow and Aura Arrow.

Moreover, Keter’s Aura Arrows were special.

They were invisible.

They were visible only until they were nocked on the bowstring. But once fired, they disappeared from sight.

Invisible arrows.

A simple but tricky basic archery technique of Demon Archery.

The spectators thought their screens were malfunctioning. After all, they clearly saw the arrows being shot, but nothing was flying.

It was Henya’s first time too. Facing a Master-level archer and invisible arrows, all of it.

But she didn’t retreat. She trusted her experience and senses and charged. Then, she leaped into the air and twisted her body.

Instantly, Henya’s crimson hair scattered. In between, invisible arrows brushed past.

‘If I just close the distance, I win.’

Henya believed that if she could get close to Keter, she could overwhelm him with her infinitely linked ‘Wheel Swordsmanship.’

But Keter, having already experienced Henya’s swordsmanship, had no reason to easily give up the distance.

Then, Keter did something incomprehensible. He suddenly pulled his right hand back. What could that action mean?

Henya soon found out.

The pressure felt from all directions. Although nothing was visible to the eye, something sharp was closing in from all sides.

Henya dug deeper inside, swinging her twin swords like a windmill. It was a sword strike filled with the determination to cut both the thing tightening around her and Keter at the same time.

Henya’s twin swords, filled with Aura, cut through the air and severed something. It was the ‘Chain of Mana’ that Keter had attached to the invisible arrows.

The chain connected to Keter’s right finger worked on the principle of narrowing inward when pulled back. Henya had cut it with a single stroke.

“Not bad.”

Keter, who had said a word, leaped back.

Henya’s sword strike split the air. It was enough to cut the Chain of Mana, but not enough to reach Keter.

Henya wasn’t one to just watch. As soon as she landed on the ground, she leaped again to continue her attack, but-

Whoosh!!

Her eyes widened as she saw the Aura Arrows sprouting from Keter’s left and right.

Aura Arrow Wing.

44 on the left and right, totaling 88 Aura Arrows. Keter’s bowstring, which had created these without any preliminary motion, began to gather an enormous amount of Aura.

Celestial Infinity Technique, Second Form.

‘Milky Way.’

The powerful arrow that subdued the Orichalcon mercenary Burgundy in one shot, Milky Way.

Burgundy had responded head-on, but Henya had no reason to do so. That’s why 88 Aura Arrows were needed.

Keter aimed at Henya, preparing the Milky Way. Henya had never seen the Milky Way before, but she could tell its power without being hit.

‘Don’t face it head-on.’

She circled around, looking for Keter’s opening. But following her movement, Keter’s Aura Arrows automatically flew towards Henya.

Boom! Boom boom!

The Aura Arrows rained down to restrict Henya’s movement.

Henya thought that if she endured this, she would gain the upper hand.

‘Just maintaining that must be consuming an enormous amount of Aura.’

That’s the nature of Aura. Even if left alone, it consumes a lot. Especially if you use Aura itself to create matter.

Henya’s subsequent movements were as agile as a leopard. Her direction changes and acceleration in the air were very skillful.

But Keter had faced such opponents more than once or twice.

“……!”

Just when she thought she was dodging well, Keter’s Aura Arrows, which had been flying normally, changed.

The technique that had swept away the knights earlier. The arrows split left and right, flying in a fan shape.

The Arrow Wing had applied the split technique.

‘Could he activate it even in that state?’

Henya had no space to dodge. It was a mistake not to predict that the technique could be applied even to arrows not directly shot.

Although the power decreased due to the split, she still had to at least pretend to defend.

Should she deflect it with her sword or defend with Aura Armor? But Henya didn’t feel that either was the right answer.

‘If I slow down even a little and time drags on, it’s over.’

A life-and-death situation.

Everyone has a trump card they save until the very last moment. Usually, it boasts formidable power under the name of a secret technique or ultimate move.

Jordic’s secret technique, ‘Moon Eclipse’-

Jairo’s secret technique, ‘Skyward Path’-

Like Burgundy’s secret technique, ‘Lang Lang Sword Dance.’

But secret techniques aren’t just for attack.

Boom! Whoosh!

A loud explosion was heard from where Henya was, and suddenly, a long scar appeared on Keter’s cheek.

As bright red blood flowed, Keter turned around.

Swoosh!

This time, blood spurted from Keter’s right arm. A deeper wound than the one on his cheek.

The spectators watching this could no longer even understand this fight.

“Lady Henya suddenly disappeared!”

“She was clearly surrounded by arrows earlier?”

“Why is Keter suddenly getting more injuries, and where is he looking?”

To the spectators, it seemed as if Henya had disappeared. Like a mirage.

In reality, as Keter’s Aura Arrows also stopped, unable to grasp the situation, Keter showed interest.

“Hoh- I didn’t expect to see that here.”

Although his body was accumulating injuries from the ultra-high-speed movements that even his eyes couldn’t follow, Keter wasn’t flustered at all.

His gaze was clearly following ‘Henya.’ This was why Henya couldn’t deliver a fatal blow to Keter.

“I didn’t expect you to have learned the Light Movement Technique.”

Both Footwork and the Light Movement Technique are martial arts that use the feet. But their purposes are different.

Footwork is a foot technique for attack, defense, and evasion, while the Light Movement Technique is a foot technique specialized for moving quickly over long distances.

Ordinary knights don’t learn the Light Movement Technique. Because they don’t feel the need. They think it’s the hands that need to be fast, not the feet.

With a light leap, they can easily cover 10 meters, and with Footwork, they can cover 5 meters in the blink of an eye.

The Lilian Kingdom, which prefers heavy armor, especially doesn’t learn the Light Movement Technique. The neighboring countries of Baen and the Adeus Kingdom are the same. Only the knights of the distant country of Belferio, the land of gourmet, mainly learn the Light Movement Technique.

But now Henya was using the Light Movement Technique. To be precise, it was a mix of Footwork and the Light Movement Technique.

“This is interesting. I didn’t expect to meet the natural enemy of an archer here.”

The natural enemy of an archer isn’t a shield that blocks arrows. It’s not someone with excellent reflexes who can deflect or dodge arrows.

It’s martial artists like Henya, who use the Light Movement Technique while moving at ultra-high speeds.

They can move dozens of meters in an instant with a single leap. Since they can also change direction in mid-air, predicting their path is nearly impossible.

Archery is a very delicate martial art. If the fingertips tremble even slightly, the arrow flies to a completely different place, and it’s easy to miss even the slightest movement of the opponent.

For such an archer, the Light Movement Technique, which moves at tremendous speed in all directions, is the natural enemy of natural enemies. No matter what you do, you can’t predict and hit them. The number of possibilities becomes too vast.

Henya, without intending to, realized that her ‘Lightning Step’ was the perfect counter to archery.

That’s why she was confident she wouldn’t lose to Keter.

Isn’t she overwhelming Keter even now?

‘But why… can’t I land a fatal blow?’

He’s not holding back. He has no intention of doing so. Rather, he’s precisely aiming for vital points with each strike.

It’s just that Keter dodges them all.

‘Don’t rush. I can still run more.’

Henya thought that just accumulating injuries like this was enough to gain the upper hand. There was no reason to push herself and lose this advantage.

But at that moment-

“……?!”

A deep chill ran down Henya’s spine.

Until now, Keter had only turned his head belatedly after Henya moved. He couldn’t even follow her movements with his eyes.

But now-

“I’m starting to get used to it. Move faster. Something big is coming.”

For the first time since using the Light Movement Technique-

Henya’s eyes met Keter’s.