Chapter 269
Kwaaang!
Repenhardt’s massive body was pushed back several steps. A long gash had formed across his chest, with beads of blood welling up. Repenhardt clicked his tongue.
‘A technique like this exists? Using aura skills properly really makes a difference!’
Even though it was an enemy’s move, it was truly an astonishing technique, worthy of admiration, honestly.
Of course, Lukawan didn’t look the least bit satisfied.
“No way, that was a direct hit, and he just took it with his bare body?”
He had heard time and again that Gym Unbreakable was monstrous, but he hadn’t expected it to be this extreme. It was absurd. If this didn’t work, then how in the world was he supposed to cut down that monster?
Sir Geblik shook his head as he brushed past Lukawan.
“The opponent is Gym Unbreakable’s Fist King. You should’ve expected at least this much.”
Charging at Repenhardt, Geblik slashed his broadsword in a cross formation. Once again, an aura cross was drawn in the air.
But that wasn’t the end of Geblik’s movements. He had already confirmed that Aura Cross alone couldn’t break through Spiral Guard.
Launching a thrust at the center of the aura cross, Geblik shouted,
“Cross Pentagon!”
From the middle of the flying cross-shaped Blade Aura, a sharp spear shot up. The aura cross, now armed with a spear, surged directly toward Repenhardt.
As it sliced through the air, the four edges of the aura cross curved inward, converging toward the spear in the center. Like a flower bud closing, the five Blade Auras merged into a single point, forming an immensely powerful piercing force.
Kwaaaaak!
The concentrated penetration force tore through even the rotational energy of Spiral Guard and came barreling in. If he simply relied on his body, he’d end up skewered. Repenhardt quickly twisted his body, deflecting the strike’s point of impact.
Pazzzzzik!
Geblik’s thrust grazed past Repenhardt’s chest. More blood spattered.
‘Just a scratch anyway!’
Ignoring it, Repenhardt stretched out his arm and swung the back of his hand.
Whoooosh!
The air trembled as his enormous fist carved a half-circle. The trajectory of the backhand strike overlapped precisely with Geblik’s charging path. There was no way he could stop midway.
‘Got him!’
Repenhardt was just about to grin in triumph.
“Heup!”
Letting out a fierce shout, Geblik halted his charge in midair. The moment he sensed Repenhardt’s counterattack, he released aura through his entire body’s meridians, performing an air brake in midair.
Thanks to that, Repenhardt’s fist barely grazed past the front of Geblik’s face.
“Damn it!”
Repenhardt cursed as his attack missed. Geblik, who had barely dodged, took a deep breath, only for a stream of blood to trickle from his nose.
Wiping his nosebleed, Geblik muttered in shock.
“My god… I didn’t even get hit, and just the force of his fist wind did this…?”
If that had landed directly, he might have been sent straight to the afterlife. No, if not that, he’d at least have spent the rest of his life unable to chew anything solid!
A chill ran down his spine. Geblik let out a self-mocking laugh.
“To think I planned to face someone like this with just basic aura skills… I really had no grasp of my own limits.”
Tensing up, Geblik launched himself forward once again. Lukawan also closed in on Repenhardt, using his Aura Shield and True Iron Wall as cover.
Flashes of aura clashed, exploded, and spread out in every direction.
Repenhardt’s expression gradually hardened as he continued to unleash relentless attacks. Though Spiral Guard was still protecting his body, small wounds were beginning to accumulate.
As expected, both of them were aura users renowned across the continent. Now that they were fighting at full power, the pressure was mounting.
‘Ugh, this isn’t easy.’
In truth, Geblik and Lukawan’s expressions were even stiffer.
“Even with two of us attacking together, this is all we can do?”
“He really is a monster! Gym Unbreakable!”
Although Repenhardt had taken injuries, they were nothing more than surface scratches. His combat ability remained completely unaffected.
Just because he was skillfully deflecting attacks didn’t mean he was invulnerable. No matter how well he avoided direct hits, Gym Unbreakable’s body was such that even a mere graze from it carried the power of a finishing blow. Every time Repenhardt’s punches and kicks rushed toward them, blood spattered and their wounds swelled.
In this intense battle, Repenhardt and the two aura users clashed fiercely, their killing intent filling the air.
Growing impatient, Lukawan clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Tsk, if we just had one more person, we might be able to turn this around!’
The honor of a one-on-one duel had long since vanished from Lukawan's mind. He glanced around, gauging the reactions of others.
‘What are they doing, just dealing with some elf over there? Hurry up and finish them off, then come help us here!’
* * *
Contrary to Lukawan’s expectations, the situation on the other side wasn’t so favorable either.
“Haaa…”
Iniya exhaled, her hair whipping around as a pure white icy mist spread out, blanketing the ground. The breath of the Northern Sea, which froze everything in its path, was a formidable threat in itself. Ordinary soldiers would turn into frozen statues and perish under its chilling embrace.
Walgran and Croatl pushed their aura to its limits.
“Hup!”
“Haaap!”
The blazing flames of their aura protected their bodies from the cold. However, their movements felt as heavy as if they were mired in mud, restricting their freedom. Moreover, the icy mist wasn’t the only threat they faced. The elf swordsman's rapier wove through the air in dazzling patterns, ceaselessly aiming for their vital points!
“Whirling Snowflakes!”
Iniya unleashed a flurry of attacks on the two men, conjuring dozens, even hundreds of Sword Flowers. Each thrust transformed into a slash and each slash into a thrust in a ceaseless, fluid motion! In terms of swordsmanship, Iniya was overwhelming both Sir Walgran and Croatl, the two aura users.
Croatl, wielding his gray Blade Aura, found himself increasingly cornered.
“How… How can just an elf wield such skills...?”
In that instant, Iniya unleashed a slashing attack.
“Blade of the Frozen Wastes!”
Crescent-shaped Blade Auras flew from all directions. With intense vibrations embedded in the attack, it was impossible to block it with ordinary aura guards.
Croatl raised his bastard sword, positioning the blade in front of him.
“Raven Shield!”
Wings of gray aura unfurled from the blade. Layers of gray feathers overlapped, encasing Croatl as if a raven folded its wings around him. The silver Blade Auras pounded against the Raven Shield, creating ripples in succession.
Blocking the attack, Croatl immediately chained into his next move.
“Abyss Arms!”
Around Croatl, the forms of gray, sword-wielding arms emerged. They looked as if they had risen from the abyss itself, striking with blades aimed at Iniya’s entire body.
Sir Walgran joined the assault, launching a rapid series of thrusts with his longsword.
“Twinkle Star!”
Dozens of thrusts, infused with unpredictable variations, flickered between feints and real attacks. Like stars twinkling in the night sky, Blade Auras filled the air, overwhelming the space above Iniya.
“Ugh…”
Iniya’s expression grew tense. Even if these aura skills were used in a one-on-one fight, they wouldn’t be easy to ignore. Now, she was facing them from both sides!
She quickly swung her rapier through the air.
Whoooosh!
A sharp, whistling sound cut through the battlefield as dazzling silver streaks danced in the air, drawing dozens of luminous trails. Croatl and Walgran’s attacks collided with the silvery trajectories, forcibly altering their paths.
As every attack was redirected to unintended directions, Sir Walgran’s jaw dropped.
“What the?! How is she blocking all of this?!”
Unlike Croatl, who pursued raw power, Sir Walgran specialized in intricate techniques that balanced deception and precision. He prided himself on swordsmanship that could hold its own against any aura user.
But the swordplay of this violet-haired elf operated on an entirely different level. It was so precise and refined that it made his own techniques feel crude in comparison.
‘Damn it! Where the hell did this elf woman even come from?!’
Having deflected every attack, Iniya panted heavily, sweat streaming down her face.
“Huff… huff…”
Her Flowing Deflection technique demanded immense stamina and concentration. The sheer volume of attacks had drained her significantly. Though she had managed to defend herself, the effort left her noticeably exhausted.
No matter how exceptional her swordsmanship and aura skills were, Iniya was still an elf. And that meant one unavoidable weakness, elves had poor stamina. That flaw had always been her biggest obstacle. As the battle dragged on, her limbs grew heavier.
And Walgran and Croatl weren’t the only ones draining her stamina.
Whoooosh!
A sharp sound tore through the air above them. Croatl glanced up and clicked his tongue in frustration.
“Damn it! Another one’s coming!”
A crimson Blade Aura came crashing down above their heads. It was the aftermath of the ferocious battle between Gerard and Banatel raging in the distance, sending shockwaves all the way to their battlefield.
Iniya, Walgran, and Croatl simultaneously threw themselves backward. The crimson light struck the spot where they had just been.
Kwaaaang!
Having narrowly avoided the explosion, Walgran glanced toward the monstrous duel happening in the distance and grumbled.
“As if this fight wasn’t hard enough, now we have to worry about that too? Give me a break.”
For some time now, the auras of Banatel and Gerard had been straying into their battle, forcing them to pause and dodge every time.
This battlefield was utterly infuriating.
The ground felt like a swamp due to Iniya’s icy mist, while above, monstrous hailstorms of aura rained down indiscriminately, powerful enough that even experienced aura users couldn’t afford to ignore them. Stories often spoke of warriors dueling on cliff edges or narrow bridges, but compared to this, those places seemed like peaceful and comfortable battlefields.
Even so, Walgran and Croatl had far more stamina remaining than Iniya. Feeling her breathing grow increasingly ragged, Iniya bit her lip.
‘This is bad. I need to finish this quickly somehow.’
But no matter how skilled she was, those two aura users were not opponents she could take down in a single strike.
Walgran and Croatl lunged at her once again. Iniya rushed forward to meet them, scattering Blade Aura as she moved.
As she swung her rapier, her complexion grew noticeably paler.
* * *
Repenhardt’s group and the six aura users from various nations were locked in a desperate battle, forcing each other to bring out their full strength. Even a moment’s distraction would result in a fatal strike, making it impossible to even consider switching opponents as they had earlier. Each fighter focused solely on the enemy before them, unleashing relentless attacks while dodging incoming strikes.
Dozens of Aura Shockwaves exploded at once, filling the air with deafening blasts that rang out repeatedly. Everything in the surroundings shattered again and again under the relentless force.
Amid this brutal scene of destruction, nine superhuman warriors clashed. A short distance away, a pair of eyes quietly observed them.
A beautiful elf girl with platinum blonde hair and tanned skin, holding dual scimitars, Siris had finally arrived at the battlefield.
Back when she had sensed the danger in White King Castle, Repenhardt had acted without hesitation, throwing himself forward without a second thought. Iniya and Attila had immediately followed. With their superhuman physical abilities, they had instantly covered several hundred meters and reached the battlefield in an instant.
But for Siris, pulling off such a feat was simply impossible. Left behind, she had sprinted with all her might to catch up, only to find that by the time she arrived, the battle had already begun.
“Uuuh…”
Watching the fierce battle before her, Siris made a face of sheer disbelief. Though she had arrived some time ago, she had remained frozen in place, unable to step forward. The raging Aura Shockwaves made it impossible for her to even consider joining the fray.
But that didn’t mean she could just stand there doing nothing.
‘I have to do something too!’
Steeling herself, Siris raised her twin blades and crossed them in the air.
“Go! Salamander!”
Three fiery lizards danced through the air, materializing above her. Siris immediately fired them off, aiming straight at her chosen target, Lukawan, the middle-aged swordsman in his fifties who was locked in combat with Repenhardt.