Novel Full Chapter 302 : Chapter 302
Chapter 302. I Can’t Let It End Like This (1)
A battle of attrition.
The secret to Patrick’s victory back then, when his realm was still lower, was that he had held on and endured until his opponent exhausted his strength first.
It was a fact he learned later, but all Manifestations of the Mind’s Image consumed an immense amount of internal energy and mental power.
Of course, if one could maintain the Diamond Indestructible Body indefinitely, they would be invincible.
But that was not the realm of humans.
If by any chance that was possible, one would have already surpassed humanity and entered the realm of a demigod.
So, a long battle should have been advantageous…
“Take this!”
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-BOOM!
‘Why isn’t this guy showing any signs of getting tired?’
The Imperial Sword Saint had been maintaining that Absolute from the start of the duel, unleashing a tremendous barrage of Aura Blades.
Even when using the same Aura Blade, an attack that was projected out like the Imperial Sword Saint’s consumed aura far more severely.
But why…
‘Why isn’t he getting tired?’
He wasn’t sure if going for a battle of attrition was the right answer.
Of course, since this world had a much higher density of ki than the Murim of the Central Plains, Patrick could also fight for longer, but there was no telling how long that would last, was there?
‘Huh? Wait a minute?’
Patrick flinched.
He felt like an important clue had just flashed by.
What was it? Just now…
“An opening!”
It was then.
The Imperial Sword Saint’s sharp sword pierced through the defense of Patrick’s twin swords and approached him.
It was the first time he had succeeded in breaking through Patrick’s defensive zone and reaching him.
The moment the Imperial Sword Saint tried to press deeper to not miss this chance…
“Where do you think you’re going!”
CRACK!
Patrick’s front kick exploded on the Imperial Sword Saint’s chest. And at that moment…
“Keoheok!”
For the first time, a scream erupted from the Imperial Sword Saint’s mouth.
And after being pushed far back and staggering once, he hastily corrected his posture.
Patrick, who had successfully landed the attack, was rather bewildered by the sight.
“What? Why did the Diamond Indestructible Body…”
It was strange.
Why did the Imperial Sword Saint’s absolute defense, which could block even Aura Blades, waver from a single kick?
The front kick just now wasn’t even a particularly powerful technique.
It was just an ordinary push kick, with only a slight touch of refined force to push the opponent away.
But that worked?
Aura Blades didn’t work, but this did?
How could that be? Wait, this might be…
A hypothesis formed.
Patrick sheathed his sword.
“What are you… Hup!”
The Imperial Sword Saint, who was about to say something to Patrick as he sheathed his sword, was taken aback.
Patrick had already closed the distance and entered his personal space.
Far closer than the range for swinging a sword, Patrick’s fist approached his heart.
“Kuk…”
Feeling a sudden chill, the Imperial Sword Saint quickly stepped back and swung his sword.
The target was Patrick’s left arm, which was aiming for his heart.
But his sword simply passed through Patrick’s hand in vain.
“Hmm?”
Form-Shifting Position Change.
Patrick, having deceived the Imperial Sword Saint with an application using only his arm, closed in one more step and extended his fist.
One Step, One Fist.
The very foundation of fist and foot techniques.
But the moment it exploded on the Imperial Sword Saint’s body…
BOOOOM!
“Keoheoeok!”
A scream burst from the Imperial Sword Saint’s mouth as he was sent flying backward, tumbling to the ground.
And Patrick, with his fist still extended, wore a hollow smile.
“It wasn’t a Diamond Indestructible Body, was it?”
He knew after striking him directly with his bare hands.
This was not a Diamond Indestructible Body.
“You spread your Body-Protecting Aura Qi to the level of a Diamond Indestructible Body. Wow… truly ignorant. So ignorant.”
Body-Protecting Aura Qi.
This was a technique in the realm of the State of Harmony, not the State of Profundity.
And if the Imperial Sword Saint’s Absolute was Body-Protecting Aura Qi, then all the contradictions Patrick had felt while fighting him were resolved.
The Diamond Indestructible Body raised the user’s physical body itself to the hardness of diamond, displaying a near-invincible defense.
Not just the skin, but the eyes, the oral cavity, and though sadly unproven, probably even the hair would become like that.
It was absurd, but making the absurd possible was what the Manifestation of the Mind’s Image of the State of Profundity was all about.
Then what about Body-Protecting Aura Qi?
That was a lower-level technique.
It enhanced defense by creating a barrier of Aura Qi around one’s body.
Its defense was far inferior to the Diamond Indestructible Body, and above all, it was focused on surface-level defense, making it weak against the blows of internal injury techniques.
The One Step, One Fist Patrick had used was also a blow from an internal injury technique that focused the point of impact inward, which was why the Imperial Sword Saint was hit.
But here’s the thing.
Normally, Body-Protecting Aura Qi didn’t have the powerful defense to block an Aura Blade like the Imperial Sword Saint had displayed.
Even if someone at the peak of the State of Harmony deployed it, blocking Sword Qi would be the limit.
And it was impossible to constantly keep it wrapped around the body as the Imperial Sword Saint had done.
Usually, one would keep it deployed at about 30 percent and then fully deploy it at the moment of an impending attack to respond.
But the Imperial Sword Saint’s Body-Protecting Aura Qi was so strong that Patrick mistook it for a Diamond Indestructible Body, and he could keep it constantly deployed.
Why was that?
The answer was simple.
Because the density of ki in this world was much higher than in the Murim of the Central Plains.
“Haaa… I was so stupid. How could I forget that?”
It was a fact that had surprised him greatly when he was young, but he had grown numb to it as he continued to live.
Because the density of ki was high, recovery was also fast.
To the point where it was fine to constantly keep a technique like Body-Protecting Aura Qi, which consumed an immense amount of internal energy, deployed at full power.
“In the end, old man, you were just keeping a layer of Aura Blade constantly wrapped around your skin while fighting. Right?”
“……”
The Imperial Sword Saint was silent.
But he couldn’t hide the look of astonishment on his face.
‘Just what is this guy…’
His lifelong secret technique, which he had spent his entire life creating, had been exposed.
He had seemed to be constantly thinking and observing during the duel, but he had thought it was a useless act.
Was it possible to figure out an opponent’s secret technique in the middle of a battle?
He had thought it was the height of foolishness.
But if that useless act succeeded, then it was not foolish.
“An unbelievable monster.”
The Imperial Sword Saint had no way of knowing, but…
This was originally Patrick’s specialty.
How much effort had he put into studying and dissecting the martial arts of other sects to make them his own, all to improve the esoteric martial arts of the Twin Dragon Sect?
The Imperial Sword Saint’s effort and achievement in mastering Body-Protecting Aura Qi through self-study were remarkable, but to Patrick, it was close to an application of a problem he already knew.
However, the underlying principle of this application was extremely useful to Patrick as well.
“The density of ki is high, you say. To the point that Body-Protecting Aura Qi is mistaken for a Diamond Indestructible Body…”
Patrick thought quietly.
Right. Come to think of it, the Aura Blades emitted by those who had reached the 7-Star realm here were much larger and more powerful than the Aura Qi of those who had just entered the State of Harmony in the Central Plains.
Until now, he had thought it was a difference in the system of martial arts they had learned, but if it was a difference in the density of ki…
“I was mistaken.”
The power of the martial arts Patrick deployed in this world should have been higher.
But Patrick had been deploying his forms and operating his ki based on the standards of his past life.
Like a bird that could fly higher, arbitrarily deciding that this was the limit of its sky.
“……”
Patrick looked up.
The sun, already risen quite high, was illuminating the blue sky.
In this vast and high sky, just how high could he fly?
Patrick, having realized the error of his limits, raised his sword again. And then…
“Imperial Sword Saint.”
“……”
“This is my answer and my reward to you.”
Patrick’s sword moved like flowing water.
Following the trajectory of his sword, it drew a line of pure white light.
Line connected with line.
Even though it was a form he had not deployed many times, Patrick’s sword moved without hesitation.
It was a technique that could kill him if deployed incorrectly, but there was no hesitation.
Right now, Patrick was certain.
In this world, where the density of ki was much higher than in the Murim of the Central Plains, he could do it.
There was nothing to be hesitant about.
He was simply doing what he could do.
All that was left was to tear down the limits he had arbitrarily confined himself within…
‘I can do this.’
The line Patrick drew soon became a single, giant dragon. And then…
“Oh… ooh?”
“It’s moving.”
“H-how?”
The onlookers were astonished.
A bright light glinted in the eyes of the dragon made of aura, and it began to squirm and move. Eventually…
“Ascension.”
The moment Patrick, who had somehow entered the dragon he had created, quietly muttered, the giant pure white dragon ascended high into the sky.
And high in the sky, it coiled complexly, reigning as if to cover the entire sky, and looked down.
[ Twin Dragons Eight Sword Forms: Eighth Form: Final Secret Art: Dragon God’s Reign… ]
“No, that’s not it.”
This was not the dragon created by the sect’s founder.
Its form and nature were completely different from the dragon Patrick had created in the virtual space.
This was a new form created as Patrick broke through a wall. A technique that should be called the unique martial art of the Radiant Dragon Great Master.
Therefore, its name was…
“Radiant Dragon’s Reign Under Heaven.”
Yes. This would be right.
“A dragon of light?”
Someone muttered.
In truth, the dragon of light Patrick had created had a different form from the dragons of this world.
But everyone who saw it thought the same thing.
That it was a dragon.
This was proof that Patrick had perfectly projected the will of his mind’s image.
A communication of will far clearer than a hundred words.
The fact that this was possible meant that the form Patrick had deployed was perfect.
“Is that… the Double Dragon?”
“A genius… No, a monster.”
“……”
The knights could not contain their shock and admiration.
This was even more true for those who had reached a high realm.
And the one watching this most ecstatically was…
“Oh… ooooh…”
The Imperial Sword Saint himself.
This was it.
The wall he wanted to overcome was right here.
The Imperial Sword Saint’s heart swelled as he saw its distinct form with his own two eyes.
The match? There was no way he could win.
Double Dragon Patrick Schneider.
He was a true genius.
He was someone who lived in a completely different world that an ordinary human like himself could never understand. But…
‘I want to face it.’
He wanted to raise his sword and fight against that dragon of light. He might die.
No, the probability of dying was high.
But he could not resist the temptation.
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaap!”
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!
The Aura Blade on the Imperial Sword Saint’s sword surged to its limit.
5 meters, 10 meters, 20 meters…
As if his sword had become a endlessly erupting volcano, it spewed out a rough Aura Blade.
It wasn’t perfectly formed like the Hegemon King’s Lord of Sword.
But the full power of the Imperial Sword Saint, who had reached the edge of 8-Star, surpassed the power of the Hegemon King’s strike.
Holding it, the Imperial Sword Saint shouted powerfully.
“Come!”
A smile graced Patrick’s lips as he heard the Imperial Sword Saint’s shout.
“Yes. That’s how it should be.”
Seeing is believing.
Rather than hearing, seeing. Rather than seeing, taking a direct hit was the proper attitude for a martial artist.
At least by this guy’s standards.
“Take this.”
The dragon of light looking down from the sky opened its mouth.
And what happened in the next moment was…
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A breath of light.
A destructive beam spewed from the dragon’s breath directly engulfed the Imperial Sword Saint.
“Uwoooooooooooooh!”
One could tell just by looking.
Just how terrifyingly powerful this attack was.
But the Imperial Sword Saint did not retreat.
He confronted the breath spewed by the dragon of light with all his might.
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!
The Imperial Sword Saint’s sword slashed at the beam of light with all its strength.
It was his sword, which had never failed to slice through anything after he earned the name Imperial Sword Saint. But…
“Kugh…”
He was being pushed back.
It wasn’t for any other technical reason.
He was being pushed back in a pure contest of power.
“Kuuuuuuuuugh!”
He tried to push back with all his might, but the Imperial Sword Saint’s feet were gradually pushed back, and his posture began to crumble downward. Eventually…
CRACK!
The Imperial Sword Saint heard it.
The sound of his own sword breaking.
The sword, called a national treasure of the Empire and the greatest famed sword on the continent, had broken.
And the next moment…
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The terrifying breath of light exploded on the Imperial Sword Saint.
“Grandfatheeeeeer!”
The moment the Imperial Sword Saint was swallowed by the breath of light.
A man shot out from the Imperial army like an arrow. It was none other than the Imperial Sword Saint’s grandson, Garcia.
He drew his sword and leaped into the sky with bloodshot eyes.
“Patrick Schneideeeeer!”
A swordsman who had reached the 7-Star realm.
The Aura Blade that fiercely bloomed on his sword was swung towards Patrick. But…
CLAAAANG!
His Aura Blade couldn’t even pierce the scales of the light dragon surrounding Patrick.
“Kuk…”
But he didn’t give up and tried to swing his sword again. Patrick looked at him with indifferent eyes and said.
“Like grandfather, like grandson.”
It reminded him of the Arcana finals.
Back then, the Imperial Sword Saint had rushed in with his eyes overturned when he saw his grandson in danger.
Looking at it this way, it seems blood really couldn’t be deceived.
“Patrick, you dare…”
To Garcia, who was glaring at him with bloodshot, hate-filled eyes, Patrick said.
“Enough, get back a little. We’re still in the middle of a duel, aren’t we?”
And when Patrick casually swung his sword, the dragon’s body squirmed and flicked Garcia away.
Garcia fell straight down, looking at where the Imperial Sword Saint was.
‘In the middle of a duel? Then…’
Where his gaze landed…
“Kugh… Cough…”
There was the Imperial Sword Saint.
Although his sword was broken and he was coughing up blood while kneeling on one knee, the Imperial Sword Saint was alive.
Looking at him, Patrick muttered.
“I only deployed it at 2-Star, yet this is its power… If I had deployed it at 5-Star, there wouldn’t even be a corpse left.”
It was the first time he had deployed this form, so he couldn’t gauge it.
So he had controlled his power a bit excessively, but it seemed to have been just right.
Patrick slightly leaned his body forward.
The dragon of light then gently lowered its head, and Patrick, who was inside the dragon’s head, descended to the ground.
As he set foot on the ground, Patrick glanced at the dragon of light.
‘I see, so this is the realm of the State of Profundity.’
The dragon manifested from his mind’s image felt as if it were one with his body.
Unlike before, he could feel a clear connection even after coming out of the dragon.
He also knew.
That he had finally reached a realm he had not reached even in his past life.
The State of Profundity.
‘Finally…’
The martial prowess of the Radiant Dragon Great Master in his past life was not the State of Profundity.
It was around the edge of the State of Harmony.
Many people mistook him for being in the State of Profundity, but that was because even though he was in the State of Harmony, he had fought against and defeated masters of the State of Profundity.
It was only made possible by the unique nature of the Twin Dragon Sect’s martial arts with its two dantian and Patrick’s combat sense, which was praised as that of an unparalleled strategist.
But now was different.
He had truly ascended to a realm beyond the heavens.
Was he trembling with emotion from that?
Patrick’s body trembled with emotion as he…
“That striped cat bastard is so dead.”
…was that his first thought upon reaching the State of Profundity?