Chapter 106
Chapter 106
The spectator stands buzzed. The people of the Winterbell Ducal Family, in particular, seemed to be in shock.
“That’s incredible.”
“That… is that the Winterbell finishing technique, newly refined in Ron Winterbell’s own way?”
“Triple Blizzard Flash?”
“It’s definitely different. That’s not the Ron Winterbell of the past.”
Blizzard Flash was known as one of the most demanding techniques among the many finishing moves of the Winterbell Ducal Family. Even a single rotation required extreme stamina and mental strength, so executing it three times in succession was something that completely defied common sense.
But something even more astonishing happened.
Clang!
Lux’s sword blocked that fatal strike with absolute perfection. As if he had known the technique from the very beginning. The three overlapping sword strikes all came to a halt before his blade.
This time, Ron’s eyes widened.
‘This is insane. Does this even make sense?’
The ultimate technique he had pushed himself to the limit to create was effortlessly blocked by Lux, as though he were receiving an ordinary strike. Moreover, there wasn’t the slightest disturbance in his posture.
A smile brushed across Lux’s lips.
“Now you’re finally showing a proper sword.”
There was no longer any coldness in his voice. Rather, there was even a hint of anticipation. It was the voice of someone acknowledging his younger brother’s growth, yet still carrying the ease of knowing he stood a step above.
‘This bastard… so from the very beginning…’
Ron finally realized it. Lux had already read all of his movements. No, perhaps he had even anticipated that Ron would create a technique like this.
“Are you surprised?”
Lux continued.
“I expected you to refine Blizzard Flash, but I didn’t think it would be to this extent. As expected of Winterbell blood. Well done, little brother.”
There was no mockery in his words, only genuine praise.
‘Even now… is this still not enough?’
Ron once again realized his limits. No matter how much he had grown, Lux’s skill still far exceeded his imagination. The insights he gained through closed-door training, the techniques he had newly created—all of it was received by his brother as if it were merely expected steps.
But strangely, he did not feel despair.
Instead, something hot surged up within his chest.
Lux had always been a wall he needed to overcome. But the Lux before him now was different. No longer a cynical older brother, but a true elder brother who had watched over his growth and waited for him.
‘It’s not over yet. I won’t give up. You never know the outcome until the very end. If he doesn’t use mana, it’s not unwinnable.’
Ron’s gaze sharpened once more. If Triple Blizzard Flash hadn’t worked, then he had to show something even stronger. To prove that his growth hadn’t been in vain, that he hadn’t betrayed his brother’s expectations.
The sword in his hand shone once again.
Now was the true beginning.
Gasps of astonishment still echoed through the stands, but the two brothers did not hear them. In their world, there was only each other’s swords and mutual respect.
“That’s right. That look. Little brother. Do not see me as Winterbell blood, nor as your brother, Lux Winterbell. See me as nothing more than a swordsman. An enemy. Prey that you must tear apart.”
“…I don’t like that triumphant expression. To think the composure of someone who believes he can claim victory at any time could feel this disgusting.”
“Haha. Little brother. That’s what you call an inferiority complex.”
Lux Winterbell closed the distance in an instant.
His sword flashed like lightning.
Whoooosh!
A sharp strike aimed at Ron Winterbell’s neck. But that was only the beginning. Lux’s sword moved in succession as if it were a living creature.
Clang! Clang!
The moment the first attack was blocked, the second followed, and as soon as that missed, the third came flying in. Not a single movement was wasted; every strike flowed with inevitable precision.
Ron Winterbell barely managed to block his attacks. Lux Winterbell’s swordsmanship was like a waterfall. The relentless barrage poured down without pause, allowing his opponent not even a moment to breathe.
“This isn’t the end, is it? Don’t disappoint me, Ron Winterbell.”
“Shut your mouth.”
Lux Winterbell’s blade grazed the hem of Ron’s clothes. The attack was incredibly fast. The moment Ron took a step back, Lux’s assault grew even fiercer.
Swoooosh!
With a sharp sound cutting through the air, Lux’s blade slashed diagonally toward Ron’s chest. There was not the slightest hesitation in that strike. It was so filled with killing intent that it was hard to believe they were brothers.
‘That was dangerous.’
The thought flashed through Ron’s mind.
But he wasn’t even given time to think. Lux’s sword continued to pressure him, tightening around him like a living snake.
‘Just how long is he going to keep testing me? Is it that someone like me isn’t even enough to draw out his true strength?’
Ron Winterbell gritted his teeth.
“Damn it.”
His sword attempted a counterattack.
A sharp trajectory cut through the air.
But Lux responded a step faster, as if he had already foreseen the movement.
Swoosh!
Lux’s blade brushed past Ron’s left shoulder. A cold sensation sliced through his flesh. Through the torn fabric, a clear wound was revealed.
“Ghk.”
The wound on his shoulder throbbed, but Ron Winterbell couldn’t stop now. His sword cut through the air once more.
‘Faster. Stronger.’
This time, the strike aimed for Lux’s heart.
Clang!
The two swords collided. But Lux’s blade was already preparing its next move. After deflecting Ron’s attack, it twisted like a snake and shot toward Ron’s abdomen.
Slice!
“Ugh!”
A new wound formed on his abdomen. It wasn’t deep, but the sharp pain spread quickly. Ron Winterbell’s movements faltered for a moment, and Lux Winterbell did not miss that opening.
‘I have to… block this!’
A series of attacks dug into Ron’s body. A long gash carved into his upper right arm, a sharp cut grazing his left thigh, even a shallow wound passing across his left cheek.
Lux Winterbell’s sword relentlessly gnawed away at Ron Winterbell’s entire body.
“Haa… haa……”
Panting heavily, Ron’s body was now covered in wounds. Through the torn fabric, his skin was crisscrossed with injuries of all sizes like a net. Blood flowing from his shoulder ran down to the hand gripping his sword.
‘Not yet… not yet! I will never fall.’
Ron raised his sword once more. It felt as if his entire body was screaming, but his eyes did not waver. If anything, they grew even sharper.
Whooong!
His counterattack began. A desperate assault driven by his wounded body.
But Lux’s sword was already aiming for that very opening.
Whoooosh!
Another wound slashed across Ron’s chest. A vivid red line was drawn through the torn fabric. Blood seeped out.
“Hoo……”
“That’s a good look in your eyes, little brother.”
Ron Winterbell’s breathing grew even rougher. Each step he took back sent pain from his wounds coursing through his entire body. But he still did not let go of his sword.
“To win this duel, you’ll have to kill me. I will keep swinging my sword until I die.”
“Are you confident? Can you really stake your life to kill me?”
“Yes.”
A voice soaked in blood. Yet within it was an unyielding fighting spirit.
He meant it.
To become the Patriarch, he was prepared to cut down even his own blood. It wasn’t that there was no affection between family. It was simply how he had been born, and how he had been raised.
With trembling legs, he steadied his stance once more.
Blood dripped from the hand gripping his sword.
Even as he breathed like a wounded beast, his gaze only grew sharper.
‘I’ll pour everything out here and now.’
Ron’s voice rang low. He slowly raised his sword. Blood flowing from his wounds ran along the blade.
“……Try blocking this as well.”
Ron Winterbell Style Secret Art – Crimson Moon Slash.
Ron raised his sword.
The blood flowing from his entire body began to run along the blade.
A small truth Ron had discovered while pursuing the ultimate form of swordsmanship. The more blood he shed, the sharper his sword became. The more he was wounded, the stronger the blade’s edge grew.
A strike like moonlight dyed in blood.
During his closed-door training, he had realized it. A path different from the perfect swordsmanship of Winterbell—his own path. Breaking away from orthodoxy and walking the path of domination, he had finally found his own answer.
That wounds could become weapons, not weaknesses.
That pain could become power, not fear.
Ron’s stance wavered, then steadied. As the blood from his wounds flowed along the blade, his sword seemed to be dyed a deep crimson.
Lux’s eyes narrowed.
“This is…….”
But Ron’s gaze sharpened even further. The more blood he lost, the keener his senses became. His vision blurred, yet paradoxically, Lux’s movements appeared even clearer.
Swaaa—
Ron’s body spun.
A staggering motion.
But his sword was completely different from before.
The moment it collided with Lux’s blade, a shockwave spread out. The blood-soaked sword glowed red beneath the moonlight.
Ron Winterbell Style Secret Art – Crimson Moon Slash.
Lux Winterbell’s eyes widened.
“This is on a completely different level from before.”
Ron’s sword moved even faster. The more his wounds increased, the more blood he shed, the sharper his blade became. As if he were pouring his very life force into his sword.
Swoooosh—!
The blade cut through the air.
A crimson trajectory bloomed like a flower beneath the moonlight.
Blood flowed from all of Ron’s wounds, and that blood moved as if it had become one with the sword.
Lux’s murmur could be heard.
“It resembles our family’s swordsmanship, yet it is entirely different. So this is a sword you created yourself.”
“Yes. This is the answer I found.”
A result born from applying the orthodox swordsmanship of Winterbell and carving out his own path.
A pinnacle of swordsmanship reached at the cost of blood.
That was Ron Winterbell Style Secret Art, Crimson Moon Slash.
Lux Winterbell raised his sword horizontally.
“I see. Little brother. Since you’ve shown me something impressive, I should return the favor.”
His breathing grew cold. Even with his mana sealed, the air around him felt like the dead of winter.
Ice Emperor Sword First Form – Snow-Cold Sword Dance.
A sword technique that drew out the essence of the cold inherent in the Winterbell bloodline to its extreme. An ultimate sword art realized through training amidst raging blizzards.
Each movement carried a chilling frost that could cut into flesh.
Lux’s sword sliced through the air.
Like a raging snowstorm, the sharp strikes never stayed in one place.
At the same time, Ron Winterbell’s blood-drenched blade shot forward like a flash, aiming for Lux’s nape.
Boom!
Unfortunately, no miracle occurred.
Ron Winterbell’s broken blade lodged into the ground.
Soon after, Ron Winterbell coughed up a mouthful of blood and dropped to both knees.
“…Cough!”
As if it weren’t enough that the tendons in both his arms and legs had all been severed, a massive wound carved into his chest continued to gush blood.
“What a pity, little brother.”