Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Under Cailan's guidance, the Heaven-Rending Flash unfolded naturally.

Boom!

The coordinated formation, already disrupted once, was swept away entirely by Micheal's strike. Those who failed to block it turned into mummified husks and collapsed, while those who managed to defend fell to their knees, coughing up blood.

Cough—

However, Micheal was in no better shape. Using the Heaven-Rending Flash again while his body was already battered worsened his internal injuries.

[Did I not warn you?]

Cailan gave a stern warning, but a smile actually crept onto Micheal's lips. The tingling sensation grew even stronger. A feeling he couldn't quite describe—something on the tip of his tongue—shook his entire body.

Micheal gripped his sword once more and charged at the remaining enemies. He swung his blade. That was the only thought left in his mind. Through instinctive movement, the trajectory of his sword became increasingly clean.

The aura surrounding his body intimidated the enemies, causing minute cracks to appear in their formation. Exploiting those gaps, he unleashed the Heaven-Rending Flash once again.

[You crazy brat!]

Cailan burst out in frustration. If he told him not to do it, he shouldn't do it, but the boy simply wouldn't listen. Cracks were appearing all over Micheal's body, which had already been pushed to its limit. At this rate, he would either be consumed by the energy and die or lose his mind.

Left with no choice, Cailan assisted the madman, continuously guiding the flow of energy.

Crash!

Rumble!

Before long, Micheal had wiped out the third formation and charged toward the final one. He prepared to use the Heaven-Rending Flash just as he had before.

[You really are...! Just how long do you intend to—]

Cailan started to scold Micheal again but swallowed his words after checking the boy's condition. Even without Cailan guiding the energy, Micheal was properly utilizing the Heaven-Rending Flash’s cultivation method on his own. Moreover, as he moved, his "vessel" was continuously expanding.

A person who had just surpassed his limits was already reaching the maturity of the 3rd Class. He had talked a big game, and he truly was transcending his own boundaries.

[Does this even make sense...?]

A hollow laugh escaped Cailan, but it wasn't over yet. The boy's growth was astonishing, but the danger remained. In fact, he was in a more precarious state than before because his rising rank allowed him to draw upon much more powerful energy.

Skreeeeeee—

As Micheal opened his palm, chains surged out, dragging the souls of his enemies. Cailan had seen this a few times already, but there were twice as many chains now. The monstrous phantom enveloping Micheal grew darker, exuding an intense pressure. The volume of souls gathering in the sword was the same.

[It’s no use talking to him now; he won't even hear me.]

The boy was swinging his sword in a trance, intoxicated by the rapid rise in his cultivation level. This was one of the most dangerous things for those who wielded the sword of death to watch out for. Normally, this would be the most perilous moment, but fortunately for him, Cailan was dwelling within.

Cailan waited tensely. The moment Micheal's power went out of control, he had to divert that energy elsewhere. Luckily, there was a perfect place to use it.

K-Boom!

Finally, Micheal's Heaven-Rending Flash shattered the last formation. He had endured until now because he had a target to vent the power on, but with all the formations destroyed, the boiling energy began to consume him. Sensing this, Cailan immediately poured in his own aura to move Micheal's power.

[This is exhausting.]

There was a limit to the energy Cailan could use since he had just recently awakened. What he used now was the energy that formed the foundation of his soul. It was pure, but weak. However, that was enough.

He was a man who had reached the pinnacle of divinity in his past life. A man who could perform miracles with energy the size of a pea. That man was Cailan Luncay.

Skreeeeeee!

The surrounding souls went into a frenzy and rushed toward Micheal’s rampaging energy. Like moths to a flame, they swarmed toward their destruction. Using the souls as fuel, the energy grew even larger. The mounting pressure began to damage parts of Micheal’s body.

But Cailan continued to circulate the energy, waiting for the right moment.

Crack... crack...

An eerie light shone through the cracks in Micheal’s skin. Bits of skin fell away like a shell being shed. New skin grew in, only to crack again.

[Heh, quite the stroke of luck.]

For a mere 3rd-class novice to experience something akin to a "Body Reconstruction." If this wasn't a miracle, what was? However, if he stayed like this, his body would shatter. Fortunately, the opportunity he was waiting for arrived.

Cailan guided that energy directly toward where Cain Rappel was. It wasn't a properly executed Heaven-Rending Flash, but the energy contained within was something even a Master couldn't ignore.

"Ugh!"

Feeling the overwhelming pressure, Cain, who was in the middle of a frantic battle, gasped. He had been thrusting his sword toward Kaiden. At this rate, that massive energy would hit him directly in the back.

He hastily withdrew his sword, infused it with as much aura as possible, and swung it behind him. The moment the sword met the energy—

BOOM!

With a deafening roar, Cain’s body was sent flying. And then—

Thwack—

The tip of a sword protruded from his chest. It was the sword of Kaiden, the man he had been fighting just moments ago. Cain Rappel fell to his knees, vomiting blood. He then asked the question he was most curious about.

"Just... who is that brat...?"

At those words, Kaiden looked over to where Micheal lay collapsed. Seeing his chest rise and fall, it seemed he wasn't dead. Kaiden turned back to Cain and uttered the only words he knew that could describe Micheal.

"A hard-working genius."

"A genius? You think that can be explained simply by calling him a genius?!"

"I said a hard-working genius."

"Cough! Heh... I see... A hard-working genius... you say..."

With those final words, Cain’s head fell. No one could know exactly what his final thoughts were, but one thing was certain. He realized the world was truly unfair.

Shing—

Kaiden pulled out his sword and immediately ran to Micheal, feeding him a potion he had brought. Since it was a top-grade potion, of which there were few even in the family, the effect would be certain.

"Patriarch!"

While waiting for Micheal's condition to improve, the Captain of the Armed Forces, Edric, approached with the family’s warriors. He widened his eyes as he looked at the corpses scattered around.

"Heh, I didn't realize the Young Lord's skills had improved this much."

"It wasn't Grant."

"Then did you, Patriarch...?"

Indeed, anyone would think like Edric. No one would imagine that Micheal, a 2nd-class aura user, had taken down those at his own level or higher. That was why it was all the more shocking. Kaiden stood up without saying a word.

"You guard this boy well. The rest of you, come with me to finish this."

With the Luncay warriors joining in, the remnants of the Rappel family were easily cleaned up.

When Micheal regained consciousness, he looked around. It was a familiar space. This was expected, as it was the room assigned to him by the Luncay family. That aside...

"Why does my body feel so refreshed?"

[It should. The impurities that had built up for a long time are gone, and the Patriarch even fed you a top-grade potion.]

"Ah..."

[If your body had been reconstructed just a bit more, you would have completed the 'Body Reconstruction' that usually only Masters experience.]

Micheal smacked his lips at Cailan’s words. Body Reconstruction. He had only ever read about it in books. He felt it was a shame to have missed that chance. However, Cailan found Micheal's reaction absurd.

[You dare feel regret? If it weren't for me, you'd be dead already.]

"Thank you, Lord Cailan."

[Hmph, don't think you can brush it off with just words.]

"Of course not. Since you saved my life, I will help you as well, Lord Cailan. You can't really act properly without me right now, can you?"

So he knew. This slippery brat. Micheal had calculated everything, which is why he had jumped in and used the Heaven-Rending Flash repeatedly to surpass his limits. Cailan was glad the boy would help, but he felt like he was losing out somehow. Besides, the condition he was going to propose wasn't bad for the boy either. But regardless, he had to say what needed to be said.

[There is only one thing I want. The Luncay family... Hm, a guest has arrived.]

"Huh? Micheal!"

The moment Cailan stopped speaking, a loud voice rang out. Grant, who had entered the room, saw Micheal sitting on the bed and rushed over. Micheal peered past him and saw Kaiden coming in as well.

"Are you okay? Is anything hurting? They said they gave you a top-grade potion, but my father is a bit of a cheapskate, so it might not actually be top-grade."

"You rascal, what do you take your father for!"

"He took a top-grade potion and still only woke up after two days! Of course I’d be suspicious!"

Two days? Micheal was surprised that he had been lying there for quite a while.

[It took longer for your mind to recover than your body.]

Micheal nodded slightly at Cailan’s following comment. While his body felt energetic, he still felt some mental fatigue.

"And it might be over a hundred years old, so it might not even work."

"If it's a true top-grade potion, it's fine even if it's over two hundred years old. Didn't I tell you not to just dig into martial arts and business, but to learn some common sense as well?"

"Why are you bringing that up now!"

"Because you foolishly walked into a death trap. It's also common sense that you shouldn't blindly trust information from the underworld."

"Ugh..."

Kaiden scolded his son, reminding him of his recklessness. Since Micheal hadn't known much about that either, he felt like he was being scolded along with him.

'I should ask to learn with him later.'

Since Micheal had only delved into black magic within his family since he was a child, he knew even less than Grant in those areas. Who knew when or where common sense might be needed again? There was no such thing as over-learning. That was how Micheal had lived his life until now.

"So, is your body alright?"

"Yes. It seems the top-grade potion is indeed effective. And thank you. If you hadn't arrived in time, Patriarch, I would have truly been in trouble."

There was no need to mention things like Body Reconstruction here.

"No need for thanks. It was our family's business to begin with. Besides, Grant was the one who dragged you into it."

Ah, that was true. Thinking back on it, Micheal got annoyed and glared at Grant. Grant, sensing the mood, spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Micheal. I'll compensate you properly as promised. Right, Father?"

"Why are you looking at me? If you said you'd provide compensation, you should take responsibility for it."

"A-Father..."

While Grant looked despondent at the cold words, Kaiden turned his gaze back to Micheal.

"Squeeze whatever you can out of this fellow. That aside, I should provide a reward as well. After all, you helped with our Luncay family's affairs."

"Didn't it end with the Heaven-Rending Sword?"

"No, that was regarding Chief Manager Hail. What I’m talking about now is your help in removing Cain Rappel. Thanks to you, we ended it easily, avoiding potential losses from a prolonged battle."

"Oh!"

Micheal’s jaw dropped at the unexpected words. Thinking that Kaiden was truly a great person, he was pondering what would be good to receive when a voice spoke up.

[Ask him to let you into the family's storehouse.]

Thinking that Cailan wouldn't say anything that would harm him, Micheal repeated his words and readily received permission.

"The family storehouse? Haha, that would be better. It's better to see what you want for yourself. Grant, look at Micheal and learn. How wise he is."

"..."

Being compared, Grant made a grumpy face. But there was no one there who cared. Micheal shrugged, and Kaiden motioned to Grant.

"He seems to have just woken up, so come find me when you're ready to go to the storehouse. You should come out too and let Micheal rest."

"I still have things to ask."

"Ahem, ask him later."

As the father and son left, the room became quiet once again. Only then could Micheal resume his conversation with Cailan.

"So, what is it that you want? You said there was only one thing."

[Yes, just one. If you accept that, I will teach you everything I know.]

'Oh, what a windfall!' While Micheal was rejoicing, his expression crumpled at Cailan’s next words.

[Become the Patriarch of the Luncay family.]

"What?"

The two-hundred-year-old old man was talking senile nonsense.