Chapter 283: How to Protect What is Precious (7)

Ein, the power created when aura and mana fused, was the very essence of impossibility and unfairness. It didn’t merely cancel out the weaknesses of aura and mana, but the density of the energy itself was incredible.

The five Grandmasters who were going against Keter all wielded augmented aura, which was a mass of aura compressed to the absolute limit. Sword aura could cut steel like paper, but augmented aura could tear down fortress walls and gates.

And now, five people using augmented aura were standing in front of Keter: three people with swords, and two people with spears.

Though not their ultimate techniques, each warrior unleashed the techniques they were most confident in.

Swordsman Style: March of the Bees.

Flawless Immortal Raiment: Seven-Star Sword.

Wind God Style: Pinwheel.

Moonlight Spear Style: Half-Moon.

Moonlight Spear Style: New Moon.

Despite these full-power attacks, Keter did not even nock an arrow. There was no need—from the moment he attained Ein, he no longer required a bow. He only needed to release his fists. The two arrows floating in his grip moved on their own and then shot forward like lightning.

One might think he would need five arrows since there were five opponents, but he didn't. The two arrows twisted around each other like serpents and pierced the captain of the Grand Corps in the thigh.

His technique, March of the Bees, couldn’t even graze the arrows. The arrows moved as if they were alive, twisting sharply without losing an ounce of speed. This was trajectory-shifting without deceleration: this was where the true power of Keter’s Limitless Archery revealed itself.

Next, an arrow pierced Tesla, the commander of the Order of the Storm, through the shoulder. It seemed like the process was invisible and only the result existed. The path of the arrow couldn’t be seen at all. This was chained acceleration—Keter’s arrows could increase their speed multiple times after being fired.

Two Grandmasters fell in an instant. Jordic and the commander of the Order of the Black Leopard attempted to intercept the arrows by twisting their spears, but their spears didn’t even brush them. The arrows suddenly split into particles of light, scattered, then reformed and pierced both men straight through the abdomen. This was inertia reconstruction.

Four Grandmasters fell in the blink of an eye. All of this occurred in just one second.

Rajis, the only one remaining standing, sensed his defeat and pushed himself beyond his limits. Originally, the Seven-Star Sword was not a projectile technique. But Rajis forcibly transformed it into one and unleashed an ultimate technique he believed could not be cast consecutively—Flawless Immortal Raiment: Steady Sword. Normally, Steady Sword required considerable preparation time, but Rajis manifested it instantly.

In a moment of mortal danger, people grew; Rajis surpassed his own limits twice, but it was nowhere near enough—two breakthroughs were far too little to surpass Keter.

And the arrows Keter fired now were not ordinary arrows. They were Milky Way, the explosive arrows.

Vwooom!!!

Gravity suddenly formed around them. Everything in the vicinity was pulled toward the Milky Way arrows. Rajis understood immediately that these arrows possessed the power to obliterate the entire forest. It was a force no human could ever hope to withstand.

Death—Rajis felt an inescapable, absolute death approaching, but Keter had said himself that he would win, not kill.

Kaboom!!!!

Milky Way detonated and created a massive explosion, yet the blast did not swallow the forest. This was force convergence: instead of allowing the explosion’s power to spread outward, it was condensed into a single point. The concentrated blast distorted even space itself, and augmented aura, capable of tearing through fortress walls, scattered like mist.

Steady Sword, Rajis’ ultimate technique born from surpassing his own limits, seemed to hold its shape for a moment, but even then, it lasted no more than a tenth of a second.

Voong!!

The force-converged Milky Way shot past Rajis and soared into the sky. Rajis instinctively turned and looked upward. The arrow had already soared high above and vanished, yet to Rajis, it was in clear sight.

“There’s a hole in the sky.”

This was not a metaphor. There was an actual hole in the sky, and through it, black energy churned. Though the void closed instantly, Rajis believed that what he had witnessed was what the books called space.

He lied about being able to kill us.

Rajis let out a bitter laugh.

He could have killed not only us, but the entire Bydent family.

He wasn’t saying this because of the technique’s power alone; it was because of Keter’s mindset. Keter was the type who, if it served his purpose, would slaughter tens of thousands of people and still sit down to enjoy a meat dish that very same day.

Rajis lowered his head and looked at his hands. They were empty. He had dropped his sword.

“I’ve lost. But at the very least...” He raised the edge of his hand to his neck. “I won’t beg for my life.”

Just as Rajis was about to cut his throat, Keter grabbed his wrist.

“If you die, I’ll kill you.”

“...?!”

Rajis couldn’t help but laugh quietly. It made no sense, yet it felt like Keter would genuinely be able to do that.

* * *

“Kids these days have no grit—none at all! Isn’t that right, Jordic?” Keter complained while sitting on something.

Then, the reply came from below.

“I... I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jordic answered in a trembling voice.

Jordic was doing a plank, and Keter was using him as a chair, bouncing lightly on his back.

“Am I heavy? Do I feel heavy? Hey, mister, do I look heavy to you?”

The same punishment was being given to Gargan, the captain of the Grand Corps, who was also doing a plank. He shook his head weakly.

“You look as light as a feather... sir.”

“Are you mocking me right now?”

Keter got off of Jordic and sat on Gargan’s back instead. The moment he sat, Gargan’s breath caught painfully in his throat. When Jordic quivered under Keter, he had assumed Jordic was exaggerating. Sure, they were wounded, but Keter had healed all their injuries? Keter didn’t look heavier than maybe seventy kilograms, and for Superhuman warriors, that was something they could lift with a pinky.

But the instant Keter sat on him, Gargan felt as though an ogre had sat on him. His arms and legs trembled violently, ready to snap. The only reason his posture didn’t collapse wasn’t his muscles—it was pride.

“Your face is turning red, mister. I am light, right?”

“...”

Gargan couldn’t even speak as he couldn’t even breathe; he was barely hanging on.

When Keter finally stood up, Gargan gasped for air like someone who was being choked. Keter looked over the five Grandmasters, who were all in a plank position.

“If anyone’s pride is hurting so much they’d rather die, stand up. I’ll kill you cleanly and painlessly.”

None of the five rose. All of them stayed in position without a word.

“So you do at least understand that pride only matters when you’re alive.”

Keter began rummaging through their pockets. There wasn’t much left intact after the battle, of course, but that didn’t stop him. His hands searched every nook and cranny without the slightest hesitation.

“Not much on you.”

It wasn’t that they had nothing at all—there were things like communication devices, elixirs, and bandages. Keter pocketed them without a hint of shame, just like a common robber.

“What do you intend to do with us?” Rajis asked only because the humiliation was too much to stay silent.

“I’m planning to hang out with you for two or three days before heading back,” Keter answered kindly.

“...?”

“That way, people will say that I fought five Grandmasters for three days and nights, and it ended in a draw.”

“If your goal is to hide your strength... wouldn’t it be more appropriate to kill us all to keep us silent?”

At Rajis’ bluntly practical suggestion, the other four Grandmasters shot him vicious looks. It was a wordless reprimand for provoking Keter unnecessarily. However, Keter simply shook his head.

“Hide what? I’ve never hidden anything. You all just assumed things and made my life annoying. You get what I’m saying?”

“...”

“To put it simply: you’re not real Grandmasters. Do you think everyone who can use augmented aura is a Grandmaster? In the Lillian Kingdom, they praise you, but in the Samael Empire, you’d barely be mid-to-high-level Masters. Rajis over there is the only one close to the real thing, but the rest of you...

Sigh...

”

But Keter knew that no matter how much he explained, the world would never believe it. People preferred what was sensational, not what was true. The rumor that Keter killed six Grandmasters was more exciting than Keter defeating five Masters and one Grandmaster. As such, the former became the truth even though none of them were qualified to be called Grandmasters at all.

“I won’t allow people to overhype me. Sure, I’m pretty amazing, but six real Grandmasters would be tough.”

“Tough... meaning...?”

Jordic lifted his head, staring at him in disbelief. Keter waved it off like it was obvious.

“It might be possible to kill six Grandmasters, but I can’t subdue them. See? I’m humble. I admit these things.”

Of course, this all assumed they were Grandmasters without Ein, but since only a tiny handful of people in the world even knew what that was, there was no need to mention it.

“But, Sir Keter, what is that power you’re using?”

Of the five, only Rajis had realized Keter wasn’t using aura or mana, but Ein.

“You want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Hm... no.”

He willingly explained all his other plans, yet refused this one. Rajis, forgetting his own situation, pressed urgently.

“Why can’t you tell me?” he asked.

“Because you’re not on my side,” Keter replied.

“...!”

“You’re a man who upholds justice. To someone like you, I’m the villain. You and I can never stand on the same side. I could actually tell these guys, but not you.”

Thud.

Keter sat again on Jordic’s back. Despite trembling violently, Jordic managed to speak.

“Are you going to tell me? The secret of your power?”

“Don’t bother. For you, that power is like a world inside a mirror: it would be right in front of you, yet forever out of reach. What I value in you is your purity—your purity of purpose. Out of all of them, your killing intent toward me was the strongest.”

“...”

“What do you want, anyway?”

Rajis still couldn’t fathom Keter’s mind.

Keter was young and strong. He could easily become the heir to the Four Lords if he wished. Yet his actions were driven by instinct, doing whatever amused him. He showed no mercy to enemies, yet spared those he supposedly had to kill.

It wasn’t only Rajis who wondered about Keter’s intentions—all of them were curious. However, one should normally keep such thoughts hidden, as there was no benefit in revealing them anyway. But Keter opened his mouth, wondering why that would even be a secret.

“Well, obviously...”

Rustle.

Keter stopped mid-sentence and turned his head. All five of them looked as well.

“...!”

There stood a man, drenched in blood, carrying someone over his shoulder.