"What do you mean by that...?"
Raon tilted his head, holding the scabbard of the Heavenly Drive. He didn't understand what Alice meant by suddenly suggesting putting something into the Sword Control technique.
"I had an interesting idea."
Alice nodded and raised her own sword.
"What do you think about mixing the principles of Spatial Sword with Sword Control?"
"The principles of Spatial Sword..."
Raon stroked his chin as he listened to Alice' words. He had been so focused on using Sword Control that he had never thought about adding the principles of Spatial Sword.
"Think about it."
Alice levitated her sword in the air. It wasn't Sword Control, but simple telekinesis using aura.
"Most people would think the greatest advantage of Sword Control is its powerful destructive force, but you should know better. The best advantage is the freedom it has beyond human hands."
"That's right."
As Alice said, the reason Sword Control is difficult to block is not because of its strong power, but because of its unpredictable and complex movements.
"So..."
Alice licked her lips excitedly and flicked her finger at the sword. Her sword disappeared and suddenly reappeared, smashing the end of the deck. Of course, since it wasn't Sword Control, it lost power and fell immediately, but its power and speed as a flying sword were impressive.
"Wouldn't it be more interesting if Sword Control suddenly popped out like this?"
Alice smiled deeply, saying that if Spatial Sword principles were mixed with Sword Control, it would create an invincible swordsmanship that no one could break.
"Aaargh! What are you doing destroying the ship!"
Lawaine, who had been startled by the Sword Control, screamed as he saw the deck Alice had smashed.
"It's my ship. And we can fix it."
"It's not you who fixes it, it's us!"
Lawaine frowned, clutching his head.
"Hmm..."
Alice seemed to have nothing to say about that part and quickly turned her gaze away.
"What do you think? Sounds good, right?"
She blinked her eyes, asking if it wasn't a good idea.
"As you say, it seems like it would be swordsmanship that no one could block. But..."
Raon calmly shook his head as he looked at Alice.
"It's difficult right now."
Just using familiar swordsmanship with Sword Control overloads his upper dantian, making his mind and body feel heavy as if soaked in water. It was impossible to incorporate the principles of Spatial Sword in the middle because it was difficult to even think about anything else while operating Sword Control. It seemed that it would only be possible after reaching Transcendence and beyond to satisfy Alice's expectations.
"Then how about this?"
Rimmer approached from the side as if he had been waiting and wiggled his index finger.
"You only use fire aura when you use Sword Control, right?"
"That's right."
Raon nodded. Despite being a Grandmaster, the reason he was able to use Sword Control was due to the synergistic effect of the Ring of Fire and Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Without the chance he gained from the underground archives, he wouldn't have been able to use Sword Control at his current level.
"The attribute that amplifies fire the most is wind, right? Try surrounding it with Gale Wind Style wind over the Sword Control."
Rimmer nodded, suggesting to focus on increasing power first rather than martial growth.
"Hmm, that seems possible."
Coating the Sword Control with wind aura didn't seem to consume much mental power, so it seemed quite possible.
"No!"
Alice pushed Rimmer away with her elbow and approached.
"Spatial Sword is much cooler and more practical! You should take the difficult path, not the easy one!"
She shook her head, saying it would be better to practice Spatial Sword.
"It's not a difficult path, it's an impossible one, you know?"
Rimmer snorted, saying it wasn't possible in the current situation.
"Grr..."
"Hmph!"
Alice gritted her teeth as she looked at Rimmer, while Rimmer shrugged nonchalantly.
"Then I'll try both."
Raon stepped between Alice and Rimmer, who were having a staring contest, and levitated the Heavenly Drive in the air.
'Well...'
As Alice wanted, he launched the Sword Control and tried to use the principles of Spatial Sword in the middle. The Heavenly Drive vibrated violently, trying to leap through space, but stopped abruptly in the air above the sea.
'Ugh...'
It doesn't work after all. Trying to leap through space while using Sword Control made his head feel like it was about to split. It was a result of insufficient achievement in both Spatial Sword and Sword Control.
"See? I told you it wouldn't work. No matter how much of a genius Raon is, at his current level, just using Sword Control is already pushing it."
Rimmer shook his head, saying it was obvious.
"W-who said it would work now? I said we should practice!"
Alice bit her lip, revealing the veins on her forehead.
"Raon. This time, try infusing it with Gale Wind Style wind. The power will definitely increase."
Rimmer nodded with a confident look in his eyes.
"Alright."
Raon nodded and focused on Sword Control again. He added Gale Wind Style wind to the calm flames enveloping the Heavenly Drive as he aimed at the pirate ship with Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation - Crimson Slash.
* * *
"My whole body was stiff from going through Dimensional Gates one after another, but it feels good to swing a sword."
Martha grinned as she cut down a pirate with a tattooed face in one strike.
"I know. I thought we couldn't train because we were at sea, but I didn't expect to have a real battle like this."
Burren nodded as he cut down three pirates who charged at him at once.
"But, is it okay to kill the pirates? We don't know what wrong they've done..."
Dorian swallowed dryly as he laid down the pirates he had subdued on the floor.
"They fired cannons at us as soon as they saw us, do you think they're good guys?"
Martha flicked Dorian's forehead, telling him to wake up.
"You don't need to worry."
The bald middle-aged man who had guided them to the cabin shook his head.
"The Jirang Pirate Group is known as the scum of humanity in this area."
The bald middle-aged man mercilessly cut the pirates' necks, saying they were demons in human disguise.
"Murder, theft, drugs, even human trafficking - they do anything for money."
The woman wearing a black eye patch revealed a chilling gaze, saying there would probably be slaves on this ship too.
"...That's right. They're down there."
Runaan, who had only been defending with her scabbard, drew her sword as she sensed very faint presences from below the deck. Frost flowers bloomed on her snow-white blade, turning the surrounding pirates into living ice statues.
"Then there's no need to hold back."
Martha grinned and gripped her sword with both hands. She seemed to have made up her mind and started destroying not just the pirates, but the pirate ship itself.
"This too is for the sake of the Continent."
Burren also started slaughtering the pirates mercilessly, muttering that this was the way to protect people.
"Stop!"
Just as the Light Wind division was pushing back the pirates without a scratch, the door of the captain's cabin was smashed and a middle-aged man with a huge build walked out. He had a greatsword on his shoulder, and the energy emanating from him was as strong as a battlefield general. He was at least a Master-level powerhouse.
"Hmm!"
Martha licked her lips as she looked at the middle-aged man who seemed to be the captain of the pirate ship.
"A decent one has come out."
"I'll handle this."
Burren straightened his back and stepped forward.
"What nonsense! He's my prey!"
Martha shook her head, telling him to back off.
"Look inside the captain's cabin."
Burren pointed to the room the pirate captain had just come out of. Inside, there were people covered in blood as if they had bathed in it, chained and collapsed. It meant they had treated the kidnapped people like toys.
"I can't forgive that guy."
Burren raised a cold energy, saying he would deal with him personally.
"All the more reason for me to handle it. A guy like that shouldn't just be killed!"
Martha bared her white teeth, saying she couldn't back down anymore.
"You young punks don't know your place!"
The pirate captain gritted his teeth and raised his greatsword above his head. Just as he was about to strike Martha and Burren with all his might, a huge sword wrapped in flames fell from the sky and split the pirate captain in half.
"Aaaaargh!"
Perhaps because the sword strike was so sharp, the pirate captain didn't die immediately even though his body was split in half, and he screamed in agony as he burned in the flames.
"Wow, this is a bit..."
"That Raon bastard is brutal..."
Even Burren and Martha, who had vowed to kill the pirate captain cruelly, trembled their lips as if they hadn't imagined such an execution.
"Um, I think the ship is tilting..."
Dorian blinked as he looked at his own body gradually sliding away.
"It's not tilting! It's split in half!"
Krein trembled his chin as he looked at the pirate ship that had been split in half and started burning. The power of the Sword Control that Raon had struck down was so strong that not only the pirate ship but even the sea beneath it was split.
"Aaaaargh!"
"What the! What's happening all of a sudden!"
"The ship is sinking! S-save the people first!"
Although the Light Wind division members could walk on water, they plunged into the sea without hesitation to save the people the pirates had kidnapped.
"You damn Division Leader! How could you destroy the ship after sending us here!"
"This isn't just destroyed, it's completely shattered! Go show off your strength somewhere else!"
Martha and Burren gritted their teeth as they glared at Raon.
"...Incompetent Raon."
Runaan glared at Raon after making a splint with frost.
-Puhehehehe!
Wrath pointed at Raon and giggled.
-To be resented by the Bead Ice Cream girl, how terrible!
He continued to laugh, rolling over with his belly up.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know it would have this much power either."
Raon put his hands together towards the Light Wind division swordsmen. He thought power control wasn't necessary because the ship was big, but when wind and flame came together, it produced more power than expected. The sword technique was crude, but the destructive power had already surpassed the Grandmaster level.
'This is embarrassing.'
Raon put the returned Heavenly Drive back in its scabbard and then went into the sea to help the Light Wind division rescue the people who had fallen into the water.
"See? At times like this, it's better to just focus on power simply."
Rimmer shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Alice.
"Spatial Sword is for later..."
"We'll see about that."
Alice bit her lip and grabbed Rimmer's shoulder tightly.
"From today, I'll teach him one-on-one and make him a greater master of Spatial Sword than me."
She flashed her reddened eyes as if she was upset about losing to Rimmer.
"O-okay then..."
Rimmer swallowed hard as he looked at Alice' eyes getting redder and redder.
'Is there not a single normal person in this damn family...'
* * *
"That's not it!"
Alice struck the deck with a switch she had gotten from somewhere.
"I can see the movement of your sword strike! That's not Spatial Sword, it's just moving quickly!"
She shook her head, saying the path itself was wrong.
"I know, but it's not easy."
Raon lowered the Heavenly Drive and shook his head. It wasn't too difficult to use Spatial Sword with the sword in his hand, but it was not easy to perform Spatial Sword with Sword Control.
"No! You can do it!"
Alice shook her head and shouted to keep trying.
"Okay..."
Raon sighed briefly and levitated the Heavenly Drive in the air again.
'This is tiring.'
Since the day they met the pirate ship, Alice had been stuck to his side, giving teachings about Spatial Sword, probably upset about losing to Rimmer's advice. He wanted to do other training because it was difficult to mix Spatial Sword with Sword Control in the current situation, but Alice was so enthusiastic that he couldn't bring himself to say stop.
'Let's try a bit more.'
Raon shot the Sword Control towards a small piece of wood floating on the sea and tried to use the principles of Spatial Sword behind it. The Heavenly Drive became a beam of light as it advanced, then disappeared as if hiding in the shadow of the waves. The sword resurfaced in the sky right above the piece of wood.
It seemed successful, but the Heavenly Drive couldn't stab the piece of wood immediately and floundered in the air like a person who had fallen into water.
"Ah..."
Raon shook his head, clutching his head.
'Another failure.'
He could launch the sword using Sword Control and move it using the principles of Spatial Sword, but he failed to attack afterwards. It seemed impossible to develop further with his current upper dantian.
-In fact, even the movement is a failure.
Wrath shook his head.
-As that maniac said, the direction is visible. It's sloppy swordsmanship.
He snorted as if it was pathetic.
'Right?'
Raon dropped his shoulders as if deflated.
-In fact, it's usually impossible to use Sword Control with your current level. If it weren't for that ring in your heart, you wouldn't even have the upper dantian realm to use Sword Control.
Wrath shook his head as if it was already at its limit.
"Ah! What a shame!"
Alice clapped her hands and shook her head.
"Just a little more! Let's try a little more!"
She put her hands together, saying it seemed like it would work if they continued.
"It won't work."
Rimmer waved his hand.
"It's a miracle that Raon can use Sword Control like this now. It's impossible to add Spatial Sword in the middle."
He shook his head, saying it was impossible until reaching Transcendence, just like Wrath.
"Can't you shut up?"
"What, can't I even speak with my own mouth..."
"This won't do..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Alice grabbing Rimmer's collar, about to throw him into the sea.
'If the Vice Leader knows, Aunt must know too.'
He couldn't understand why Alice kept making him do this when even Rimmer knew that developing Sword Control was unreasonable for his current self.
-That doesn't mean this training is meaningless.
Wrath calmly shook his head.
'Not meaningless?'
-The energy center is like a muscle. It grows and becomes stronger, even if very slightly, the more you use it.
'Ah...'
-Your upper dantian is currently overloaded, but after resting and using that swordsmanship again, it will have developed slightly, even if just a little.
He shook his head, saying that while there might not be a big difference now, there would definitely be a difference when he reaches Transcendence.
'I see.'
Raon nodded as he grasped the Heavenly Drive. It seemed that Alice was making him do this training hoping that his future self would become stronger, not his current self.
"Aaaaargh!"
Hearing Rimmer's scream, Raon looked at the end of the ship. Rimmer had disappeared, and Alice was approaching with a bright smile.
"Um, where's the Vice Leader..."
"He went home."
Alice shook her head, smiling sweetly.
"Home...?"
As Raon was blinking his eyes, he heard the voices of the Light Wind division swordsmen.
"The Vice Leader fell into the sea!"
"His arms and legs are all tied up? More than that, he's not moving at all!"
"Rope! Bring the rope!"
The Light Wind division swordsmen and the Azure Wind's crew started pulling Rimmer up in panic.
"Shall we continue?"
Alice tilted her head with a chilling gaze.
"Alright."
"Huh..."
When Raon nodded even more enthusiastically, Alice opened her eyes wide.
"Don't tell me you're scared? I wouldn't subdue you with aura and throw you into the sea."
Alice shook her head, saying not to worry.
'So she even subdued him with aura...'
Raon swallowed dryly. He had wondered why Rimmer fell without any resistance, but it seemed she had blocked his body's movements with aura.
"Don't worry, take it slow..."
"No. You can be tough on me. I have things I need to do too..."
Raon shook his head firmly as he looked at Alice.
"I want to become stronger."
* * *
After a week of sailing, the Azure Wind arrived at its destination, Seville Island.
"That island over there is where I saw the Soul Crystal."
Lawaine pointed to an uninhabited island located to the west of Seville Island. It wasn't too far from Seville Island, so it seemed possible to walk on the sea without taking a ship.
"Hmm, there are quite a lot of rocks and pebbles around?"
Burren exhaled softly as he looked at the rocks and pebbles scattered around Giran Island.
"Do we have to search through all of that..."
Martha trembled her lips as if the mere thought was dreadful.
"You don't have to worry."
Lawaine shook his head with a light smile.
"I roughly remember the location, so we just need to go there..."
"Wait a moment."
Raon covered Lawaine's mouth and narrowed his eyes.
"Did you say this was an uninhabited island?"
"Huh? Ah, yes. Since there's nothing particularly growing there, no one lives on Giran Island."
Lawaine nodded, saying it was always an empty island.
"Then those inside are not residents of this place."
"Pardon? What do you..."
"There are people inside that island. Quite a lot of them."
Many people's energy could be felt from inside Giran Island. They were all masters who could manipulate mana.
"Huh..."
Dorian took a deep breath, seeming tense.
"That's right. There are many. And there are some pretty strong ones too."
Alice nodded and licked her lips.
"First, we should assess their numbers and situation before moving..."
Just as Raon was about to suggest forming a plan while quietly getting off the ship...
"No! At times like this, charging in is the right way!"
Alice smashed through the deck of the Azure Wind and stood at the edge of Giran Island in an instant.
"Get out, all of you! From now on, this island is mine!"
She roared, smashing rocks as if she didn't care who was inside. Alice turned around with a expression that seemed to say "I did well, right?" and gave a thumbs up.
"Aunt."
Raon's eyes turned a murky gray.
"Please..."