Chapter 223

At the center of the battlefield, the moment the golden and the crimson auras intersected, all eyes in the vicinity turned towards the spectacle. Ordinary soldiers might not realize it, but the leaders of both sides knew that the outcome of this duel would determine the war’s end.

Beyond Logan’s plans, Patrik harbored his own belief.

“Even if Master Sword Sage wins, he won’t kill Logan. Would fellow disciples truly seek each other’s lives?”

It might be decided without a real fight.

That faint hope had existed.

But then—

BOOOM!

CLANG! CRASH!

RIP.

With a blast, the duel erupted in bloodshed from the start.

Staggering from a gushing wound at his side, Logan was caught unawares by the Sword Sage’s kick, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Without hesitation, the Sword Sage’s blade swept through the empty ground as a gold aura cut a faint line across his neck.

BANG!

After the intense skirmish, the master and disciple were thrown in opposite directions.

Each stopped the bleeding, their eyes heavy and filled with murderous intent.

Patrik stood agape.

“No way…?!”

Fortunately, his counterpart, Lewis, seemed equally shocked.

WHISH.

The chilling breeze seemed to cool the heated gaze that was more fierce than anyone had anticipated.

“You’ve improved a lot.”

“Thanks to you, Master…!”

BOOM!

Trying to exploit an opening, Logan deflected an incoming blade but couldn’t muster enough strength, pain assaulting his body.

The Sword Sage’s relentless crimson aura charged, targeting Logan’s vitals without hesitation.

“Damn it!”

Logan, already on the back foot, was now forced to unleash 32 layers of golden aura in response.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

His power erased every approaching sword strike, yet his master’s crimson aura only paused momentarily without fading.

With a short gasp, the Sword Sage vanished, only to reappear behind Logan with another tempestuous assault.

BAM!

Logan managed to deflect most of the onslaught and even counterattack.

This was possible due to his transcendental abilities and his familiarity with his master’s sword patterns.

In a moment, blood spurted from Logan’s arm, and the Sword Sage sustained a scratch on his cheek.

Their skills were on display, but their expressions were opposite.

Logan smiled as the Sword Sage murmured in a low voice.

“Such immense talent. Have you memorized all the techniques I taught you?”

“It’s a grace I can’t forget.”

The conversation unfit for a battlefield caused the Sword Sage’s impassive gaze to waver momentarily.

“No need for such words.”

Unfortunately for Logan, his master’s wavering resolve was fleeting, and his movements became even more forceful.

RIP.

As Logan narrowly evaded, the ground where he stood split apart.

He felt a weight like dozens of times his own, a feeling of intense pressure.

‘Heavy Swordsmanship!’

It was the first technique Logan had learned from his master, now pressed with full murderous intent.

“I’ll show it to you slowly. Focus!”

Reminisced his first lesson, Logan’s present was different from before.

His own sword aura pushed back against the oppressiveness.

But along with that, a searing crimson aura split the space where Logan stood.

SWISH.

“Hmm?!”

The Sword Sage naturally responded to the blurred afterimages of Logan, who had mastered the Phantom Shadow Technique to an extreme.

The red and gold auras clashed once more.

GRIND.

“You’ve truly learned well.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“That’s thanks to your teaching.”

“It’s a pity, all the more for it.”

BANG!

“UGH!”

While the Sword Sage’s melancholic eyes didn’t match the ferocity of his subsequent kick to Logan’s abdomen, the red aura that followed was ruthlessly fast.

Logan, now forced to expend another of his trump cards, activated his Regeneration Bracelet as wounds erupted across his body.

“Using the gracious gifts of His Majesty like that!”

The Sword Sage’s grim expression was followed by a swift incoming strike.

Logan moved instinctively, spotting a slight gap, thanks to the recovering period after his master’s major technique.

‘Afterimage.’

Logan divided into two, each swiping their swords as they passed by the Sword Sage.

A faint sound of tearing, and again they crossed paths.

The Sword Sage’s cheek now bore a deep gash—the first real wound since the battle began.

But Logan was not thrilled; he was angry.

Soldiers shedding blood against each other—why must it be this way?

Logan pleaded, reflecting his thoughts.

“Do we truly need to fight to the finish? Please, Master, consider the greater good. As we once united to end the civil strife!”

The Sword Sage flinched.

Was there a change of heart?

Logan impatiently pressed on.

“Master. The King is now on a completely wrong path…”

“I know.”

“What?”

“I am well aware of the wrongs His Majesty has done to you. But, Logan, I find you more dangerous.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Logan. After dethroning the King, what is it that you plan to do?”

“Obviously, to restore the kingdom to—”

“You’re not planning to become King yourself?”

Caught off guard, Logan’s complexion stiffened.

“I have no such—”

He had no such intentions.

Before leaving for the empire, he could’ve said so without hesitation.

But facing his master now, the words struggled to come.

It had never occurred to him, but the thought that becoming King would make it easier to prepare against the empire now seemed natural.

“I never intended to. Honestly.”

However, that brief hesitation had already solidified the Sword Sage’s expression.

“Your hesitation is your answer, and that’s why this is my cause, Logan.”

The final thunderous burst from the Sword Sage’s sword erased all lingering hope.

“Let’s put an end to it.”

A low hum as condensed red lightning enveloped the blade, Logan well aware of its implication.

‘Lightning Chaser.’

The Sword Sage’s ultimate tech, a philosophy of mastery over space through speed, by Felix Esperanza.

It was a moment of utmost crisis, yet Logan’s eyes shone with conviction.

Imagining countless duels with his master, Logan had deduced that this moment offered the highest chance of victory.

“Do not use a technique that expends all your power without certainty. It is a double-edged sword.”

“Me? I even find it difficult to control when using Lightning Chaser. It is such a technique after all.”

The weaknesses his master inadvertently taught him.

“Too powerful and lacking control…”

Absurd, but Logan saw the chance to overcome his master.

“Going in!”

Marked by a trait deep within his soul, an additional core light shone within Logan’s heart’s poscore.

With daily practice since his awakening, the sensation of ascending existentially was still daunting.

Power surged, senses expanded, and a confidence as if he could do anything welled up, but Logan knew it was a mistake.

“Even now, my abilities are only equal to my master’s.”

Despite the ascended state, Logan knew his physical abilities and senses were only on par with his master.

Fortunately, Logan had prepared a few more tricks.

‘Wind God’s Boots, Mighty Gauntlets, Guardian Shoulder Pads.’

A hum as the specially named artifacts accepted his force, boosting his physical capabilities.

Lying dormant until this pivotal moment, the artifacts disrupted his master’s senses.

Then there was the ‘Time Acceleration.’

Magic in the beloved sword Lux activated for the first time in ages, accelerating his consciousness.

Only when this sensation joined with the exhilarating forces surging throughout his body did Logan confirm he had surpassed his master’s physical capabilities.

“Relying on artifacts only stagnates one’s true skill.”

Challenging his master’s rigid philosophy, who preferred nothing more than sturdy but ordinary armor, Logan had no choice.

“Otherwise, I have no chance.”

It was not just the physical enhancement provided by the artifacts that would allow him to win.

Logan’s biggest trump card against his master’s technique was ready.

The power from Logan’s heart’s poscore focused on a single point.

“I can do this!”

As the red lightning began to crack from the sword, Logan perceived the absurd acceleration of his master.

With a swift sweep of Lux, the golden force turned into an aura, then into a strange waveform, filling the front space.

GRIND.

The faces of both master and disciple distorted as gold and crimson met.

Still, Logan’s expression remained steadfast.

“You won’t be able to stop this. I haven’t shown it to you.”

The fifth form of the Divine Sword Secret; after the previous four techniques splitting waves, metal, earth, and flame.

Beyond the first three moves aimed at cutting tangible things, was the second intermediate move designed to cut the formless.

‘Life Severing Slash.’

Logan’s golden aura perfectly shattered the red aura to pieces.