Chapter 301

‘Is that the head of the Ragnar family?’

Felix observed the fight from a distance, stationed at the outskirts of the territory with his airship.

Although he was supposed to be the judge, Felix had no concern for the life or death of either participant.

His main focus was solely on the skill of the current head of the Ragnar family, the one who would lead this generation.

“Indeed, he can't compare to Kyle.”

The adjutant, watching beside him, commented indifferently.

There was no real disappointment to be had.

It hadn’t been long since Kyle’s death, and Theo was still too young to be compared to a legendary figure who had become a myth in such a short time.

However, there was something that Felix found a bit odd.

‘He doesn’t seem to feel any pressure.’

If one acknowledged that they had spent their life in the shadow of their father, their body would naturally stiffen under the weight of that expectation.

Yet, Theo showed no such signs.

Rather, his composure seemed almost too relaxed.

That very demeanor narrowed Felix’s eyes.

‘Is he deliberately hiding his strength?’

Felix couldn’t shake off the unease.

Theo exuded a sense of ease, but the fact that he was gradually being pushed back by Kalen felt unnatural.

‘If he is hiding his strength…’

The thought suddenly sent a chill down Felix’s spine.

Kalen’s strength was by no means insignificant.

Now, Felix was also reassessing Kalen, the person the world had so far evaluated, with a new perspective.

That realization made him shiver.

If Theo was unable to unleash his full power against someone like that…

‘This could be the birth of a monster greater than Kyle…’

That was the only truth he could cling to.

Whoooosh!

Kang-Kaang!

The crescent slashes drawn by both sides collided with a sharp, resounding screech.

In an instant, several crescent slashes and straight-line flashes surged forward in unison.

However, those slashes and flashes were blocked by another sword strike and exploded in the air.

A series of explosions followed the massive clash of magical energy.

The dense fog created by the collisions spread out, gradually consuming the surrounding area.

The cheering voices from both sides continued, but to the two fighters, only the sounds of the battle could be heard.

"After all that talk, have you run out of words!"

Kaang!

Kalen swung his sword with the intention of cleaving Theo’s waist in two. The new sword Theo wielded shook violently as it blocked the strike.

The heavy sword strike, combined with a wildness reminiscent of a lion.

And the skill honed by years of experience.

Kalen wasn’t blindly aiming for vital points; he crushed everything that touched his blade.

The fact that the lion symbolized the Narsio family came from this very sword technique.

‘Even as an old man, a lion remains a lion.’

Not deceived by feints, he carefully observed the situation and struck with a perfectly timed thrust.

‘He must have really wanted to defeat his father.’

People often unconsciously create patterns, but Kalen lacked any such tendency.

Achievements like these could not be attained without effort.

How much pain and dedication had he invested to craft this unorthodox sword style?

Felix couldn’t help but admire this.

Moreover, every time Theo blocked an attack, Kalen would stop for a moment before making a slower follow-up strike.

‘He doesn’t care about muscle fatigue.’

When muscles are abruptly stopped mid-motion, they naturally suffer from the backlash, damaging them.

Yet, Kalen paid no mind to this.

And every so often, he unleashed another strike.

Whoooosh!

The heavy, slashing light.

Theo felt a chill run down his spine, as it reminded him of Kyle’s light strikes.

The depth of the resentment was unfathomable.

Kalen was using his own form of the single strike that had once defeated him that day.

Hoo—Hoo—

Kalen’s heavy breathing filled the air.

His next series of strikes, along with the light beams that resembled Kyle’s, continued without pause.

Even as his internal organs were torn and his body screamed in pain, Kalen did not falter.

His sword, drawing a crescent arc once again, sliced through the air with sharp precision.

Kwa-ka-ka-kaang!

Theo’s new sword was sent flying far away after blocking the powerful strike, and dust exploded into the air.

"…"

Kalen stared into the dense dust.

No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

‘I had the feel for it, and I even inflicted some wounds.’

Why did this feeling of unease persist?

He was certain that with just a few more exchanges, he could split Theo’s body in two.

But no injuries had appeared on Kalen’s own body.

The gap in skill was evident, and Kalen was convinced it had been established.

So, naturally, victory should have been assured.

But it didn’t feel like that.

‘The certainty… is slipping away.’

The only emotion Kalen felt was confidence, yet the certainty seemed to be gradually fading, replaced by an unpleasant discomfort that caused his brow to furrow.

Slash!

He swung his sword, clearing the heavy dust.

Despite the numerous cuts across his body, blood dripping freely, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

‘No, that can’t be true.’

A sudden, ominous thought quickly crossed his mind.

Kalen fixed his eyes on the wound Theo had sustained on his chest.

And then—

"Did you enjoy it?"

A cold voice pierced the air, followed by the glow of red eyes from within the dust.

Shwaaaa—!

A sharp magical blade descended from above, tearing through the dust, revealing Theo’s smiling face.

He easily deflected the incoming sword energy, sending it flying away.

And then, the air trembled.

Boom—Boom—Boom—!

The low rumbling sound of the Triple Core’s engine gradually drowned out all the surrounding noise.

Kalen felt his skin tingle from the immense and dense mana release.

Just that alone changed the air around them.

The faces of the Narsio soldiers, who had been cheering moments ago, slowly shifted to one of shock.

This was also reflected on Kalen’s own face.

And then, Theo’s form disappeared.

Chill!

A shiver ran down his spine.

And then, before him appeared the sharp blade of Caliburn.

Kwa-kwakwa—!

He barely managed to block it with both hands.

As Theo’s sword dug deeper, cracks began to form.

“You brat!”

With a burst of mana, Kalen struggled to push Theo’s sword away.

Even as he poured mana into his blade, Theo’s body remained unfazed.

"Impossible..."

He had only been pushed back a single step.

The hairs on his body stood on end.

That moment, just like that day…

"That can’t be true!"

The memory of that day surfaced in his mind, and a wave of disgust hit him.

The overwhelming sense of defeat.

The feeling of hopelessness that had dragged him into the depths was pulling at him once more.

Rumble!

The ground shook, and the earth collapsed as Kalen’s mana caused dirt and stone to rise up to knee-height.

“No matter how old you are, a lion should behave like this.”

Theo, too, grinned as he gathered mana.

Then—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground around Theo’s position collapsed, except for where he stood.

Kalen’s face turned pale as he stared in disbelief at the massive release of mana.

The difference in their mana reserves was clear, yet until now, Kalen had been merely keeping up.

It felt as though he was watching a child’s antics with lighthearted amusement.

The realization stopped Kalen in his tracks.

Then, a massive wave of humiliation and shame followed, dizzying him.

Zzzzt!

His vision wavered as Theo’s red eyes shone with an ominous glow.

Those eyes made Kalen’s heart race, and a suffocating pressure gripped his chest, making it hard to breathe.

His breath grew heavy, and his balance began to falter as if he might collapse at any moment.

"Don’t look at me… like that! Kyle!"

Red veins spread across his eyes, his skin flushed as his veins swelled grotesquely.

Crackle!

Kalen’s energy surged uncontrollably, threatening to burst as he aimed a ferocious glare at Theo.

It felt like he was prey, being targeted by a predator.

‘Inborn vitality!’

The forbidden technique that burned his life force—he had seen it before.

As Kalen lost his reason, driven by a burning desire to surpass Ragnar, he subconsciously activated his inborn vitality.

It was as if he was saying that if he couldn’t surpass Ragnar alive, he would do so in death.

"…Kyle!"

Kalen’s lion’s roar reverberated through the air.

In a state where even he couldn’t distinguish between Theo and Kyle anymore, he called out Kyle’s name repeatedly in a desperate voice, emitting murderous intent.

Theo gripped his sword tightly and glared at Kalen.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Triple Core roared with force.

Kalen’s movements were impossible to predict, so Theo had to prepare for his next strike.

Then—

“!”

Chaeng!

He barely deflected a light beam that was about to strike him.

His finely honed reflexes responded to the slightest movement, and he swung his arm just in time.

"Ugh! Hahahaha!"

An eerie laughter echoed, coming from all directions.

It felt as though the sky itself was speaking.

‘Did he reach a new realm by burning his life force?’

Theo couldn’t comprehend the moves Kalen was making otherwise.

And then—

Chaeng!

This time, Theo clearly detected Kalen’s presence, deflecting a flash coming from behind him.

His finely honed senses, sharpened during his fight with Viper, allowed him to detect Kalen’s movements.

"Is that all you’ve got, Kalen!"

Ka-ka-ka-kang!

Theo parried the massive overhead sword strike and found Kalen’s face close enough to touch.

Kalen’s face, twisted into a grotesque grin, made Theo scowl in disgust.

Theo retaliated with a diagonal strike from his right shoulder to his left hip, closing in on Kalen.

‘If I create distance, I’ll only give him a chance to strike.’

He intended to end this at close range.

The fierce clash of blades filled the air with a violent sound.

A ferocious gust of wind erupted from the strike, and Theo was forced to retreat.

Ka-ka-ka-kang!

The chaotic storm scratched and destroyed everything in its path.

"Die!"

A disgusting, metal-scraping voice screamed.

The red light streaks before him felt oddly familiar, like Kyle’s light from the past, coming down from above.

"Did you want to imitate that light?"

Theo’s eyes burned with fury as his energy exploded upward.

That light, coming from the hands of Narsio, was something he couldn’t accept.

Even more so if it came from someone who had forsaken his killing intent.

Theo’s emotions triggered the activation of his spiritual poison.

The black lightning surged up to deflect the red light descending from above, transforming it into black beams rising from below.

Boom!

The clash of violent mana erupted with a thunderous explosion.

The shockwave from the mana explosion created a sandstorm that swept across the plains.

"Master!!"

"Father!!"

The explosion was so intense that no one would have been surprised if either had died. Soldiers from both sides rushed in, chaos on their faces.

They dashed forward, close enough to sense the presence.

‘Both still have a presence.’

Julius was the first to reach them and stopped, sensing their auras.

If they still had presence, it meant the fight wasn’t over.

Whoooosh!

The wind blew softly as the dust began to clear slowly.