Chapter 131

Chapter 131Despite being a sure-kill attack, Leonard didn’t think it would be effective. He channeled his remaining strength into his Dragon Eyes, hoping that using them might yield different results.

This time, I won’t miss a thing.

He focused his vision, capable of discerning even the principles of space magic, solely on analyzing Demian’s movements. He observed everything, from the vibration of muscle fibers to the contraction and relaxation of pores, and even the electrical signals flowing through the nervous system.

With such vision, he might have been able to see not just into the body but also into the mind, had his opponent not been the unparalleled Demian, the White Dragon Commander. The resonance of their Dragon Eyes conveyed their intentions to each other.

—Wow, you’re good at it! Seems like I don’t need to teach you how to use Dragon Eyes?

No matter how much Leonard extended his perceived time, Demian easily kept up. Just like Heaven’s Annihilation, Demian, a Demigod Tier knight, was capable of erasing the gaps in causality. His abilities far exceeded simple neural acceleration; he could potentially stop or reverse time entirely.

Just then, Demian’s sword—

“What?”

Leonard’s eyes widened in shock. The Augmented Qi Sphere of the Vermillion Bird’s Assault, which he had poured nearly all his internal energy into, had vanished without a trace. His internal energy amounted to around ten gapjas. It hadn’t been destroyed or cut through; it had simply disappeared.

The thrust that even Leonard’s Dragon Eyes couldn’t see nullified his attack, just as his previous strikes had been neutralized. It was as baffling as the first time he faced the heart devil’s Heaven’s Annihilation.

Demian smirked as though he had expected this reaction from Leonard. “How does it feel? Confusing, right?”

Before Leonard could respond, Demian stepped forward and raised his sword. “Shall I have a go at it now?”

The enigmatic sword domain expanded several times over with a single step. Leonard’s neck tingled as if the entire training ground was engulfed in that domain. It felt like he had willingly exposed his neck.

The gap between Demian and the half-baked heart devil was immense. Fighting a Demigod Tier knight meant going against a being who controlled unknown laws. Being unaware of those laws meant death, but even knowing them didn’t guarantee survival. Unlike with the heart devil, Leonard couldn’t afford to die ten or a hundred times to figure it out.

A hum filled the air as Demian performed a straightforward horizontal slash, from left to right, possessing the power of Total Annihilation—nothing more than a basic move, insignificant even to those in the Transcendence Tier. Leonard blocked it without the slightest lapse in concentration.

However...

“...What is this?”

With just one slash, Demian’s blade had stopped inches away from Leonard’s neck.

“That’s one.”

The strike itself wasn’t extraordinarily fast or mystifying—a classic horizontal slash that came from the right and aimed for his neck. Indeed, from right to left, not left to right.

“Can’t wrap your head around the sword trajectory, can you?”

Demian withdrew his sword.

“It’s not about stopping time or teleporting. Think it over. If thinking doesn’t help, try going with your instincts. Sometimes, that’s the right answer.”

Putting it in words was easy, but such an explanation wouldn’t aid Leonard’s growth. Demian thought Leonard would give up soon. After all, to a genius who had reached the Transcendence Tier at sixteen, losing in a single strike was bound to shatter his pride, and recovering from that would take at least half a day, if not longer.

“How many more chances do I have?”

“Oh?”

However, Leonard wasn’t the type to surrender after being defeated once or twice, nor would he let his pride cost him an opportunity to hone his skills. Demian was pleasantly surprised to realize this.

“I suppose until I get bored or you give up.”

“Great.”

The two swordsmen distanced themselves, then simultaneously stepped forward to clash once more. Their strikes adhered strictly to the basics.

“That’s two.”

Within seconds, Demian’s blade hovered again just before Leonard’s neck. This time, the blade had descended from above, only to rise from below.

Did it involve manipulating the spatial directions? The concept of reversal briefly flashed through Leonard’s mind. If one could reverse phenomena or directions, many of what he had just experienced would make sense.

But reversing the direction alone wouldn’t explain how Azure Dragon’s Flash and Vermillion Bird’s Assault were nullified. It’s likely a superordinate concept that includes reversal.

Just understanding one of Demian’s techniques was a significant gain. The duel escalated, with their blades clashing countless times, leaving marks all over the training ground. Pure swordsmanship was carving up the space around them.

“Ugh...!”

Fabian, who had inadvertently caught some of the sword energy, glanced at the nick in his blade with a groan. The level of their strikes was beyond mere skill, unleashing slashes a level higher than sword energy. It was understandable for Demian, but Fabian was baffled that Leonard managed to keep up.

Despite his young age, Leonard wielded a sword with a weight and depth that seemed impossible for someone not yet twenty. This wasn’t just talent; it was the kind of swordsmanship honed over a lifetime.

Of course, Fabian’s curiosity could not be satisfied. As the intense duel reached its climax, Demian again counted the final strike.

“That’s three.”

Neither Demian, excited for the first time in ages, nor Leonard, glad to learn from a Demigod, had any intention of stopping. Their spontaneous duel extended past one hour, then two, approaching three hours.

After experiencing the umpteenth defeat, Leonard finally paused. He felt as though he had grasped the essence of the White Dragon Commander’s swordsmanship.

“Please give me a moment.”

“Sure.”

With Demian’s agreement, the duel paused, and Fabian, who had been watching intently for over two hours, finally blinked his dry eyes. Aware that this was an important learning opportunity, he had kept his eyes wide open the whole time, intent on not missing a single moment.

After closing his eyes briefly to organize his thoughts, Leonard said, “A moon reflecting on the water, huh.”

Unsure if the concept of “mirror flower, water moon”[1] existed in this world, Leonard kept his words concise.

Demian laughed, evidently pleased with Leonard's expression, “A moon reflecting on the water? Quite poetic.”

It was an attempt to describe the feeling of something visible yet unreachable, a sense of distance that couldn’t be measured.

Demian nodded in agreement, acknowledging the conclusion. “Well, you’re not wrong. The essence of my martial arts is mirrors, so there’s a resemblance to the surface of water.” Sёarᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Leonard nodded, once again appreciating the immense power of the concept. He finally understood why his attacks, like Azure Dragon’s Flash and Vermillion Bird’s Assault, kept being neutralized.

As techniques of a relatively lower level, reversing their image could nullify them by returning the force. It was the same principle he had learned when he fought against Pablo, that the difference in tier would never surpass output.

Against weaker opponents, this would be almost invincible.

Being able to temporarily elevate himself to the level of a Demigod, Leonard might have a slim chance of countering this reversal technique. But short of such unique circumstances, he had no way to effectively attack Demian, not while he was at the Transcendence Tier, and certainly not in his current condition.

I focused too much on refining fire and water due to facing Heaven’s Annihilation too many times. To break through that concept, I need to perfect the Western God Style of the metal element, to the Demigod Tier.

The suspension authority of the Northern God Style and the stimulation authority of the Southern God Style weren’t particularly effective against mirror techniques. Using the Northern God Style to stop it would halt both the user and the opponent, while reflecting the attack power with the Southern God Style would lead to self-destruction.

The best approach was to use the insight of the White Tiger, capable of seeing through the essence of everything—that is, the Western God Style to destroy the mirror itself.

“Well, it seems you’ve figured it out. Good, that’s enough for now.”

Demian sheathed his sword and offered some words of advice. “The process of breaking through to the Transcendence Tier involves filling the inner self with external experiences. But from the Demigod Tier onward, it’s the exact opposite.”

“You mean to express the inner self outwardly?”

“Exactly. Being at the Transcendence Tier allows one to manipulate mental images internally, but to project them and reshape the world according to one’s own laws, one must reach the Demigod Tier.”

Reversing the direction of slashes was also part of that power. Fighting a Demigod without understanding this could lead to instant death, even for Leonard.

“Thank you so much for enlightening someone as ignorant as me.”

Leonard, having gained significant enlightenment from this duel, bowed in reverence. But Demian, who had initially thought nothing of it, turned away with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Ahem, I did it to kill time, so don’t worry too much about it.”

Leaving the devastated training ground behind, the three of them began walking toward the innermost part of the Cardenas family estate.

Leonard, still unaware of their destination, asked, “By the way, where are we headed?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?”

“Since you dragged us straight to the training ground, there was no time for that.” Fabian, interjecting, explained, “We’re heading to the garrison of the Seven Great Orders. That’s where your position and affiliation will be determined.”

“My position and affiliation?”

Fabian nodded and elaborated, “You’re a rare talent who reached the Transcendence Tier at sixteen and one-sidedly defeated me. Even within the Seven Great Orders, individuals like you are rare.”

“Usually, we select a few promising bachelors or bannerets and train them until they reach a decent level.”

“...Don’t forget to mention that most of them drop out during that process.”

It was no wonder that the scions of the Cardenas family aspired to join the Seven Great Orders from a young age; being part of the Seven Great Orders garnered significant recognition within the family. However, Leonard was able to skip the selection process and would be directly introduced to some of the commanders.

Leonard, listening to their conversation, said, “I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“What are the differences between the affiliations within the Seven Great Orders? It doesn’t seem like they’re just color-coded for easy identification.”

Demian and Fabian didn’t answer right away. They only responded after briefly exchanging some whispers.

“Once you hear this, you won’t be able to choose not to join the Seven Great Orders. Are you sure you’re okay with that?” Demian asked menacingly.

“Yes, I’m fine with it.”

Returning to the family had given Leonard the opportunity to learn from a Demigod. To aim for the next level, joining the Seven Great Orders, where the greatest elites were gathered, was the best option.

Pleased with Leonard’s resolute response, Demian explained, “As you suspected, the distinctions within the Seven Great Orders aren’t just for identification. Each faction handles different tasks and, more precisely, different primary enemies.”

“Primary enemies... You mean different species?”

“The scale is quite large, isn’t it? But it’s neither a joke nor an exaggeration.”

The ensuing explanation was shocking, even for Leonard, who had experienced countless battles.

Demian, looking Leonard in the eye, continued, “For example, the Order of the Black Dragon deals with the Demoniac crawling up from the abyss. The Order of the Blue Dragon handles the Celestials descending from the heavens. Excluding the ultimate trump card, the Order of the Golden Dragon, each knight order has its own specific enemy species.”

“Demoniacs...? Celestials...?”

“I’ll explain more about those later. Our Order of the White Dragon, on the other hand, faces the fallen entities of the old era, the shells of the Gods who lost their divinity and fell to the mortal world.”

With a ferocious smile, as if savoring the thought of his prey, Demian named the enemy species the Order of the White Dragon specialized in exterminating.

“The Void Deities. The primary mission of the Order of the White Dragon is to bury those bastards once and for all.”

1. It is a metaphor or concept of fantasy, illusion, mere shadow, phantom, vision, something that is visible but having no substance. ☜