<h4>Chapter 194</h4>


    Leonard and Demian stood facing each other at a distance of thirty meters. As their respective domains ovepped, both men immediately realized something.


    This time, it was different.


    Their sword domains were fluctuating, which normally shouldn’t happen even by using power at the Demigod Tier. Though the superiority still heavily leaned toward Demian, it was no longer the predestined defeat it had been in their previous bouts. The gap in strength between them had narrowed significantly—a tangible proof of Leonard’s progress.


    “...”


    “...”


    The two exchanged strikes slowly, as if each move was part of a muchrger and longer exchange of hundreds, even thousands, of calcted moves. Each strike wasn’t about the present but the future. Their battle had transcended to the realm of foresight.


    It was the peak of seamless precision, a state of perfection in swordsmanship.


    Both were swordsmen who had reached the extremes of rationality, their moves crafted to perfection. As long as they both continued choosing the most optimal actions, their sh would seem destined to stretch on forever.


    However, if one were to point out who was at a disadvantage, it would be Leonard without a doubt.


    <i>Initiative and response. Regardless of which I choose, the oue leaves me at a disadvantage. In a swordfight without ultimate techniques, Demian has absolute superiority in manipting the conceptual realm purely with basic techniques.</i>


    If Leonard initiated an attack, Demian could nullify it with Counterbnce and take the opportunity to counter. On the other hand, if Leonard remained on the defensive, Demian’s Reversal trait could easily disrupt Leonard’s stance and grant him psychological dominance.


    This was the inevitable disparity caused by the difference in their levels. Though Leonard possessed special techniques of his own, activating them at close range against a warrior like Demian was nearly impossible. Demian’s sharp senses, bolstered by his Dragon Eyes, made it impossible to hide any such attempt.


    <i>...Wait. I might not even need to use my ultimate techniques.</i>


    A glimmer of insight shed through Leonard’s mind. He stepped forward to prevent Demian’s Dragon Eyes from reading his intention as the thought surfaced in his conscious mind.


    A sharp hum resonated. The dark de Leonard wielded shot forward like lightning, its trajectory swift and precise. Demian responded instantly and cut down diagonally to intercept the strike.


    It wasn’t even necessary for Demian to activate Counterbnce—his senses alone were sufficient to neutralize Leonard’s move. Leonard, in turn, had predicted this response. The deflected de transitioned seamlessly into another strike.


    Thrust and sh. In mere moments, the two actions coalesced into a whirlwind, dozens of afterimage strikes shing in session.


    “Hmm, I’m not really in the mood for this to drag on,” Demian muttered.


    Amid Leonard’s relentless assault, Demian stepped forward with a calm and unguarded stance. However, not a single one of Leonard’s strikes reached him.


    Counterbnce


    One of the unique traits of Demian’s Mirror de activated, nullifying every single iing strike. The perfect symmetry of his counterforce absorbed all the attacks silently, without even a sound of shing steel.


    “Hmm?”


    When Demian effortlessly countered the barrage, his eyes widened. For the first time, one of Leonard’s strikes approached his guard without being fully neutralized.


    <i>ng!</i>


    Demian instinctively raised his de to parry the unexpected blow, the impact causing him to skid backward several meters. The finely tuned calctions of their duel were momentarily disrupted.


    Even amidst the chaos, Demian quickly pieced together the situation with his instincts as a warrior. His Mirror de had not failed to counter Leonard’s swordy. Instead, a force that couldn’t be fully nullified had broken through, overpowering the counteraction and sending him reeling.


    Bypassing Counterbnce without any unique traits shouldn’t have been possible for someone who’d yet to ascend to the Demigod Tier.


    “Don’t tell me!” Demian’s eyes widened.


    A golden radiance shimmered faintly over Leonard, making Demian freeze for a split second.


    This was not a phenomenon that altered the world; it altered one’s self. Only one person had ever wielded such power before—the Red Dragon Commander Wade. An irregr among even the Knight Commanders, Wade was known to be the sole master of this unique trait. Others had tried to replicate his trait but failed—until now.


    “You... you’ve managed to replicate Wade’s unique trait?”


    Demian’s expression shifted to one of shock and admiration as he met Leonard’s gaze. Yet, Leonard didn’t answer. He simply charged forward, his dark de poised to strike.


    An opportunity like this would note twice.


    <i>ng! ng! ng! </i>


    zing with golden energy, Leonard’s de broke through Demian’s Counterbnce three times in rapid session.


    Bothbatants came to a chilling realization.


    <i>Commander Demian’s Counterbnce reflects only attacks that have not yet been strengthened by celestial energy. The Mirror de’s ability to fully neutralize attacks depends entirely on the level of the opposing force.</i>


    With the added amplification from celestial energy, Leonard’s strikes had exceeded the threshold Demian’s Counterbnce could negate.


    Step by step, Leonard advanced. Conversely, Demian retreated. Both men, masters of seamless swordsmanship, understood that once the bnce tipped so heavily in one direction, it would be nearly impossible to recover. If the duel continued like this, Demian would find himself forced into a corner within two hundred exchanges,pelled to either activate his ultimate technique or risk severe injury.


    But that was only if Demian continued to rely on Counterbnce.


    “This is getting interesting. But you do realize that breaking my Counterbnce isn’t the end, right?”


    A shift in Demian’s demeanor signaled the activation of his Mirror de’s second ability—Reversal.


    The world around Leonard seemed to twist. Directions flipped unpredictably. A downward sh suddenly reversed into an upward strike mid-motion, catching Leonard off guard. Forced to lean back to avoid the de, he quickly lost the momentum he had gained.


    Before Leonard could regain his stance from slicing through empty air, Demian had already taken several steps back and seamlessly reimed the upper hand, interweaving his own sword strikes.


    “Damn it!” Leonard cursed.


    Though his celestial energy–enhanced strikes were stronger, they were meaningless if his de couldn’t make contact. Using Reversal, Demian manipted not just his sword but also his body, evading Leonard’s counters andunching his own unpredictable assault. That was why Reversal was considered far more dangerous than Counterbnce.


    <i>This ability is far more troublesome than I expected.</i>


    Though Reversal was conceptually straightforward, its applications were anything but simple. The erratic nature of Demian’s movements left Leonard with few options to predict or counter effectively.


    Up, down, left, right—even with only four possibilities, Demian’s movements felt overwhelmingly chaotic. Adding front and back to the equation created six possibilities that could split off into countless variations.


    For Demian, who could control these variables freely, the advantage was clear. For Leonard, predicting and responding in time was nearly impossible.


    Eastern God Style


    Authority Nullification Technique


    Rightful Return


    Yet Leonard had a means of countering even this. His trump card, the Eastern God Style, was a technique capable of nullifying unique traits altogether. By severing the flow of Demian’s Reversal, he could turn the tables once more.


    Within Leonard’s Mindscape, an azure dragon raised its head high and swelled its throat before unleashing a deafening roar.


    <i>Groaaarrrr!!</i>


    Though it was a simplified invocation, which lessened its destructive power, Demian’s Reversal ability was ultimately just an auxiliary skill tied to his unique trait.


    The distorted reality flipped by the Mirror de was instantly corrected. A horizontal sh that had traveled left to right suddenly reversed its trajectory, moving from right to left instead. This reversalpletely altered the timing, causing what should have been an attack half a beat faster to fall half a beat behind.


    “What...?! Damn!”


    Realizing this, Demian halted his sword and leaped backward to retreat. However, Leonard was one step ahead this time. Predicting Demian’s evasive maneuver, Leonard swung his sword diagonally, releasing a zing arc of light.


    <i>nk!</i>


    Leonard left a deep gash across Demian’s chest armor, a piece symbolizing his position as the White Dragon Commander. Though the strike barely cut through thanks to Demian’s instinctively deployed augmented energy shield, it served as proof that Leonard’s de had hit its target.


    Leonard had pierced through not only Demian’s Counterbnce, which nullified attacks from weaker foes, but also Reversal, which reversed an opponent’s actions.


    A faint, chilling smile spread across Demian’s face. “Impressive. With that skill, you can engage my Reversal in a psychological battle and not be helplessly dragged along."


    Looking somewhat fatigued, Leonard replied, “Unlike you, Commander, I can’t use it so effortlessly.”


    “Well, you’re still in the Transcendence Tier, so it wouldn’t be fair topare us. Still, if you can withstand Reversal, testing you further with standard attacks will be pointless.”


    From this point onward, the techniques Demian was about to use were akin to splitting the skies and shattering mountains—ultimate techniques from the conceptual martial arts of the Demigod Tier.


    They were not the kind of techniques one casually used to simply assess someone’s skills.


    After a brief moment of contemtion, Demian raised his sword. “This will be the final test. If you can counter this strike, I’ll be convinced that you can protect yourself within the Order of the Green Dragon.”


    Leonard couldn’t help but tense up. He knew full well the devastating power Demian’s Mirror de could unleash. The memory of it cleaving Tyr—along with Tyr’s own Divine Territory—was still vivid in his mind.


    It seemed unlikely that Demian would use such a lethal move here, not on enemy soil but in the heart of their family estate. Still, Leonard’s instincts screamed a warning.


    <i>It’sing.</i>


    The swordy Leonard was about to face could be even more dangerous than One of Thousand, a technique of Demian’s that he had seen before. His nerves felt electrified, his hair standing on end from head to toe.


    In this moment of heightened awareness, where even lightning could seem slow, Leonard watched Demian thrust his sword forward.


    Mirror de


    Absolute Pierce of Parallel Transparency


    Balisarda


    A straightforward, almost monotonous thrust. The sword seemed to defy space itself, effortlessly covering several meters in an instant and striking at an inescapable moment. The de shimmered, bing semi-transparent.


    Leonard’s perception of time elerated to its limits. If not for his Dragon Eyes, he would have likely needed longer to grasp the sword’s essence.


    <i>He’s entering the boundary between reality and illusion! </i>


    Demian’s ultimate technique, Balisarda, was a sword strike that could shift between being tangible and intangible at the wielder’s will.


    As an intangible illusion, it could bypass walls and armor alike, only to solidify after piercing through an opponent, skewering them from within.


    Leonard initially considered nullifying it with the Eastern God Style, but forcing the de into a tangible state wouldn’t stop the subsequent thrust. Doing so would only leave him defenseless.


    The Northern God Style could provide better defense, but even it could not guaranteeplete protection. As for the Southern God Style, it was out of the question.


    Golden energy began to rise from Leonard and suddenly morphed into the shape of a tiger. The fierce aura elevated further, blending with his pure white energy and ascending several levels in strength. This technique could cut down even the authority of a Void Deity.


    Facing Balisarda, Leonard raised his de into a high guard stance and shed downward, his sword like a bolt of lightning. The spectral tiger that appeared behind him mirrored the motion, swiping its massive paw.


    Western God Style


    Cutter of All Things


    Sky and Clouds Piercer


    The resulting sh, capable of tearing apart even conceptual realms, unleashed a tempest of destruction. The semi-transparent de of Balisarda was forcibly repelled as the space around it distorted and copsed.


    Since Balisarda’s piercing blow emphasized intangible properties over raw power, it couldn’t withstand the overwhelming force of Leonard’s sh for long. The de was deflected, and a massive whirlwind erupted, spiraling upward to the clouds.


    <i>Boooom!!!</i>


    The towering vortex reached heights visible from dozens of kilometers away, shredding several clouds before vanishing into the distance.


    On the ground, the Sky and Clouds Piercer had carved a deep trench, leaving a crater several meters deep.


    Demian shook his aching hand and nced at the damage. “What a monstrous technique. If I had tried to catch it without deflecting it, its shockwave alone would’ve obliterated every building in the vicinity.”


    Leonard paused. “You’re one to talk, Commander. Didn’t you just use apletely absurd technique yourself?”


    While Mirror de had an affinity for manipting the boundary between reality and illusion, Demian’s ability to freely transcend that boundary was a skill entirely on its own.


    By contrast, the Sky and Clouds Piercer merely obliterated everything within its range. In a game of Go, it wasn’t a strategic move but an act of flipping the entire board to nullify the opponent’s ys.


    “With this, I can confidently say you won’t die easily, even to the Spriggans. Uluka will like that.”


    Having earned Demian’s approval, Leonard asked, “By Uluka, do you mean themander of the Order of the Green Dragon?”


    “Yeah. He’s got a gloomy personality, but he’s tenacious. He’s the kind of guy who goes around saying he’ll eradicate the Spriggans within his lifetime—and he’s serious about it.”


    With that, Demian dismissed Leonard, leaving him to discover the rest on his own within the Order of the Green Dragon.


    As Demian walked away, Leonard silently offered a sword salute in gratitude. Amander, whose time was more precious than gold, had not only sparred with him but showed genuine concern for his safety.


    The trials and formidable foes awaiting him in the Order of the Green Dragon now filled Leonard with anticipation. But above all, he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.


    <i>The Cardenas family, huh.</i>


    For the first time, Leonard experienced a pride he had never known in his previous life when he’d abandoned his family—a pride in being part of the Cardenas noble lineage.


    It wasn’t merely a stepping stone to strength but an acknowledgment of the blood flowing in his veins. Leonard truly cherished this family and the bonds he shared with his kin.@@novelbin@@