“...I heard that the Sword Witch was fast, but this is insane. I can’t even see her. What about you, Rajis?” asked Jordic, the Spear Dragon, gesturing toward the large screen in the lounge. Rajis, the Sword Dragon, remained silent, eyes fixed on the battle between Keter and Henya. Due to the limitations of magic, the screen couldn’t fully capture Henya’s movements. All it showed was Keter subtly shifting his body to dodge bursts of light. But he understood how many martial arts principles lay in those seemingly meaningless movements. There are still other strong people in this kingdom besides Jordic. Rajis had always believed no one in his generation surpassed him, until now. Two people had proved him wrong: Keter and Henya. Keter’s archery reached otherworldly heights, and Henya’s twin sword technique was like fighting four people at once. So her technique is definitely Agile Footwork… But I didn’t know it could be used offensively like that. Rajis also knew that movement technique, but to him, it was just for traveling far quickly. However, Henya had elevated them into a deadly offensive style. One small mistake and she’s going to collapse. Yet she controls it so precisely. Incredible. He bit his lower lip, frustrated that he couldn’t see this in person. “If only I could be there…” “To stay that composed under the gaze of tens of thousands, with your life on the line…” Keter didn’t panic at Henya’s new technique; he adapted. Rajis found that even more terrifying than his overwhelming archery skill. “What kind of place is Sefira?” “A pain in the ass,” Jordic muttered. “Now you turn. I didn’t go because I wanted to…” Jordic frowned. To him, Sefira was an incomprehensible family. They were harboring a member of the Seven Cursed Species, raising some kid knight with special abilities, and now, a monster like Keter, who seemed to have no limits. “It’s human territory, but it feels like an uncharted wasteland.” “Haha! You make it sound like a place straight out of my childhood fantasies.” It was a lighthearted exchange—a debate about who would win. But when Rajis showed true interest in Sefira, Jordic grew serious. “Don’t get attached. Our house, Bydent, is going to strip Sefira of its master family status.: “Even if that happens, Sefira won’t disappear. A master family is just a title.” “You know the world’s not that kind.” “What kind of disrespect is that? Are you implying you are going to eliminate the entire family? That’s not something even this kingdom would allow.” The Lillian Kingdom did not intervene in small conflicts between families, but they forbade open war between families, as their knights and soldiers were directly tied to the kingdom’s power. But that also meant almost anything was tolerated as long as it didn’t harm national power. Jordic grabbed a bottle of strong whiskey and took a swig. “Kah! That’s only if there’s no justification.” “What justification would there be to destroy Sefira? It’s one of the cleanest and innocent families around!” “Rajis, you're too naive.” Slumping into the sofa, Jordic mumbled with hazy eyes, “If everyone says it’s true, then even a lie becomes truth.” Rajis grabbed him by the shoulders and said angrily, “What grudge do you hold against Sefira to go this far? Competing for ambition is natural, but don’t think fabricated glory and bloodshed will be accepted! I’ll never stand by and watch, even if it means I have to kill you!” “Heh, and you think you’re any different, good sir?” “I was annoyed too. Why do I have to keep this secret alone? If you can handle it, I’ll tell you.” Jordic beckoned him closer. Rajis’ instincts screamed not to, but his pride as a knight wouldn't let him back down. Jordic whispered something to him. When Rajis heard it, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He clenched his fists so hard that blood dripped from them. Rajis punched Jordic and stormed out with his sword. Flat on the sofa, Jordic stared at the ceiling and muttered, “…I hate this too. I hate taking Keter down with a lie .” He closed his eyes—partly out of guilt for sharing a secret no one should know, partly to escape the reality that even one of the revered Seven Dragons was just a man being swept along by the world. Keter felt a sense of disappointment while fighting Henya, “Is that the fastest you can go?” Henya couldn’t answer. All she could do was try her best to bring Keter down, but it was no use. Her swords could no longer even graze the hem of Keter’s clothing. Her speed and movements had been completely read. After dodging a few attacks with ease, Keter nocked an arrow on his bow, preparing Fission, and said, “Then it’s my turn now.” He fired an arrow seemingly at nothing. Although it seemed like he shot somewhere random, it was precisely where Henya would have to pass through. She was surprised Keter had read her movement path so precisely, but she didn’t think one arrow could stop her—not until that arrow split in midair. Unlike the usual Fission, which spread in a fan shape to the left and right, this one dispersed like a net. This was Fission: Shrapnel. As he drew a second one to his bow, Keter grinned. “If I’ve got an arrow that spreads left and right, of course I’ve got one that spreads wide, too.” The audience was dumbfounded. They were confused; if he had a technique like that, why hadn’t he used it earlier? The answer was simple: because it was more fun this way. He saw promise in Henya’s Flashing Lightning Step. Rather than trample a budding seedling, Keter preferred to wait until it bore fruit before harvesting it. But the Lightning Step wasn’t ready to bear fruit just yet. Losing interest, Keter severed her rhythm with Fission: Shrapnel. Each split arrow was just strong enough to pierce steel, but to Henya in mid-acceleration, it was like being hit by a charging war chariot. The fact that she landed with only a deep groove trailing behind her, and not rolling across the dirt, was nearly miraculous. Even as pain shot through her torn thigh muscles, she used her hands to maintain motion and continue dodging. Because Keter’s Milky Way, a huge arrow made of aura, was now fully drawn. It was already too late to dodge. But she couldn’t just stand there and take it. Ting! Read full story at 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍 At the exact moment Keter released Milky Way, a figure leaped from behind him. It was Pashian, the Red Wolf. He had waited, ready to pounce at the first opening, and that opening came. An archer was at their most vulnerable right after a shot was fired. Pashian struck at that very moment. There was no roar of fury or warning—just a clean, fast strike. That was the mercenary way. Pashian’s eyes widened. He saw something strange: three rhombus-shaped spheres floating around Keter. They had appeared in the blink of an eye. One of the spheres was struck by the Milky Way. Then came the unbelievable: Milky Way bent at a ninety-degree angle without losing any speed. But it wasn’t over. The first deflection sent it into the second sphere. This time, it bent forty-five degrees. When it hit the third, it redirected again, now flying straight toward Pashian. An archery technique where one bounced an arrow off spheres to hit a target behind them was unknown to even Pashian, who had traveled across the continent. It didn’t lose speed either. If that hit him, he wouldn’t be able to survive. Pashian shouted, “Become the sword that cleaves arrows in a single strike!” As his chant rang out, his sword clashed with Milky Way. An immense explosion followed. Dust and fragments of aura exploded in every direction like a tidal wave. The audience was speechless. Keter’s Milky Way was more than destructive—it was majestic. Henya, grateful for Pashian’s unexpected interference, readied her twin swords once more. That was close. Even I wouldn’t have been able to block that. Even with her full Aura Armor, she would’ve been shattered. She believed Pashian would have suffered a grave injury, but… A storm of sword energy burst from the dust toward Keter, and Pashian emerged. His armor was torn to shreds, but his movement and aura suggested he wasn’t seriously wounded; he was at worst, lightly injured. Henya’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe it. She knew Pashian was a five-star Master, but Milky Way’s destructive power should’ve made it impossible to survive unscathed. Keter provided the answer to Pashian’s secret. “So you’re using Martial Spirit? Now that’s fun.” When Keter recognized Pashian’s hidden technique, Pashian only scowled in return. If it were any other opponent, he would have stopped and asked them how they knew, but Pashian—a mercenary, not a knight, just wordlessly launched a fierce assault. Keter countered with arrows, but the result was strange. His arrows shattered against Pashian’s blade as if they had been shot half-heartedly. “Martial Spirit, like I thought. Even in its rudimentary form, it’s impressive.” Despite his arrows being broken, Keter looked more delighted than concerned. “Now this is getting good. Henya! Come join the fun!” He even invited Henya to attack him together. Both Henya and Pashian frowned. Who would’ve thought two Masters would have to team up against one person? But Pashian, having already committed, didn’t hesitate. “I’ll draw his attention. Please look for an opening, my lady.” He unleashed a flurry of sword energy in order to finish it early. Like she was answering, Henya disappeared again using Flashing Lightning Step. However, she didn’t aim for Keter. Pashian, who had been focused solely on Keter, suddenly felt a deadly chill behind him. He twisted in a hurry, then… It was a deep cut along his side. Had he been slower, he would have been sliced in two. He calmly poured elixir on the wound and yelled at Henya, “What are you doing!?” “I should be the one to say that,” Henya said, glaring. “What are you doing, attacking my prey? And now you want to team up? You damn parasite!” Angrily, she charged at him using Flashing Lightning Step. Though Pashian had blocked Keter’s arrows easily, he was purposely dodging Henya’s arrows. “Are you two seriously fighting each other right now?!” Milky Way: Shrapnel, a split version of Milky Way, exploded, raining down on both of them. Pashian blocked one blast with Aura Armor and leapt back, roaring. “Everyone attack! Go after both Keter and Henya!” At his command, the knights who had been waiting drew orange potions from their coats and drank. It was the Rage Potion, a forbidden enhancer that boosted physical ability fivefold and doubled aura output. Twenty knights, with their fear suppressed due to the potion, joined the fight. “Now it’s getting interesting!” Behind Keter, Arrow Wings spread wide once again. To him, there were no allies; everyone was a target. Pashian and the twenty elixir-enhanced knights, and Henya, the Sword Witch: the chaos of this three-way battle was about to turn the island into a warzone.