Chapter 10 A Single Strike


    And there was Anicks, one of the bitter fates entwined with Kraush.


    Kraush knew him well, precisely because of that.


    He had once been Kraushs friend.


    Friend, my foot.


    Kraush too had long been aware.


    The reason Anicks had maintained a friendship with Kraush was because of his usefulness.


    To others, it seemed that Anicks grew from a rival house of Balheim.


    For Anicks, embracing Kraush, a direct line of the Balheim family, showcased the leadership qualities beneficial for standing at the center of the royal faction.


    And Kraush was aware of a much more loathsome reason than the superficial ones.


    It all happened after they graduated from the academy.


    Both part of the Skyborne Generation, Kraush moved together with Anicks to prevent the worlds erosion when disaster struck.


    Anickss squad had been entangled in a trap of world erosion.


    All members of the squad died in the trap, and Kraush barely managed to survive, clinging to the edge of a cliff.


    And Anicks, true to the Skyborne Generation, was the only one to escape the trap.


    Anicks! Pull me up!


    Kraush felt as if his arm would be torn off by the strong gravitational pull from below.


    Thats why he begged Anicks for help.


    However, what returned from Anicks wasnt help but utterly different words.


    Kraush, if it bes known that this trap was my mistake, I will lose my ce among the Skyborne Generation.


    Hearing that, Kraushs eyes widened in shock.


    Anicks had been recently pushed to the margin within the Skyborne Generation due to a preceding blunder.


    If news of this error spread.


    Indeed, as he said, he would be cast out from the Skyborne Generation.


    A group now at the core of power.


    To be expelled from there was something he wanted to avoid.


    What nonsense are you spouting?! Is that whats important right now?!


    But more vital than any of that was life itself.


    However, Anickss expression remained unchanged.


    He had already made his decision some time ago.


    If I alone survive, my mistake will be buried.


    Anicks stood up.


    Then he started to walk away, leaving Kraush trapped in the pit.


    Anicks, Anicks, wait!


    Kraush cried out desperately.


    He would die if left this way.


    You think it will be that easy to fix?!


    The Skyborne Generation wasnt stupid.


    First and foremost, they were a group that fought for power among themselves before being the Skyborne Generation.


    They would certainly try to use this incident as a pretext to expel Anicks.


    Because he was one of the central figures of Starlon.


    Anicks wasnt ignorant of that fact either.


    But Anicks sent a sarcastic smile floating away.


    Its okay. Youre here, Kraush.


    Kraushs eyes started to widen slowly.


    He realized what Anicks was thinking.


    Anicks nned to pin the me for this mistake on him.


    That the half-penny of Balheim pulled them down into the trap.


    Kraush, who already had many enemies within the Skyborne Generation.


    They wouldnt worry about the truth and would revel in exposing Kraushs mistake.


    In the meantime, the truth would fade away.


    Thanks, Kraush, for being my friend until the end.


    Anickssst words were akin to touching Kraushs raw nerve.


    Friend, friend?! What bullshit! Did you ever consider me a friend?!


    While Kraush knew how insignificant Anickss reference to friendship was, he still wanted to believe.


    At the very least, he wished to trust that Anicks was an ally against the worlds erosion.


    However, for Anicks, Kraush was neither a friend nor even an ally.


    Kraush, nauseated, finally touched Anickss own raw nerve.


    After all, you stuck by my side for nothing but Charlotte!


    For the first time, Anickssposed expression shattered.


    You think I dont know about todays mishap? Its because you lost your focus over Charlottes wedding! Thats why this mess happened!


    Anicks harbored a deep love-hate for Charlotte.


    Today, his mistake was entirely because he was besotted with the news of Charlottes wedding.


    Initially, Kraush warned Anicks not toe.


    He looked like he would cause trouble nine times out of ten.


    Yet he insisted on facing world erosion and caused this disaster.


    And now he was going to put the me on himself.


    It was a staggering disgust.


    This is why I despise you.


    A tumult of chaotic emotions washed over Anickss face as he looked at Kraush.


    Despitecking the ability, you have the eye to see through people, often getting under my skin because of it.


    The reason Anicks kept Kraush as a friend was because he could see Charlotte, who used to visit Kraush asionally.


    But even that ended today.


    She had left once and for all.


    Ah, at least todays disaster has a good side.


    With these words, Anicks drew a repugnant smile mixed with resentment.


    Charlotte wouldnt want to hold her brothers funeral and her wedding on the same day.


    You crazy bastard!


    Realizing Anicks waspletely broken, Kraush yelled, but Anicks had already turned to walk away.


    Still good to know you had your uses in the end, Kraush.


    And with that, Anicks left.


    All Kraush could do was hurl curses at his departing figure.


    When Kraush was driven to the brink of death,


    There was someone who came to save him.


    The owner of tinum blonde hair that seemed like the sunrise.


    Arthur Gramate.


    It was the beginning of a new malicious fate.


    Dumbf*ck.


    After that, Anicks, based on Arthurs testimony, was expelled from the Skyborne Generation.


    Not long after, Anicks married the non-inheriting Princess dia in a disgusting attempt to grasp at even a straw.


    You resemble Charlotte in both words and appearance.


    Just then, Anickss voice flowed in the present.


    Even now, this idiot had only Charlotte on his mind.


    Hey.


    So Kraush red at Anicks while loosening his fist.


    Dont casually mention my sisters name.


    Anickss eyes rounded in surprise.


    It was an unexpected reaction from Kraush.


    And you said I resemble my sister.


    Simultaneously, aura began swirling around Kraushs fist.


    While Anicks stood watching the low-Low Expert aura, Kraush kicked off the ground and leaped.


    In an instant, as Kraush closed the distance and threw his fist as he did with Bk.


    Crack!


    The punch Kraush threw was blocked by a branch sticking out from behind Anicks.


    The sudden intrusion of the tree could have been disconcerting, but it was a familiar sight for Kraush.


    Thump!


    Grabbing the branch with both hands, Kraush swung down below like on a horizontal bar.


    Then he immediately swung his legs towards Anicks.


    But once again, trees sprouting from between the balusters wrapped around Kraushs legs, flinging him away.


    Thrown into the air in an instant.


    The trees attacked Kraush with outstretched branches.


    Amongst the branches spread out to catch him everywhere,


    Kraush performed aerial stunts as he brushed past andnded firmly on the ground.


    Kraush, youre like a flying squirrel.


    Behind him, Bianca, who had been quietly watching,mented with an amazed expression.


    Quite unaffected.


    Sigh.


    In contrast, Kraush wiped away a bead of sweat.


    Still, the secret arts of the Graizar family were irritating.


    Is this all youve got? Better off using a weapon then.


    Through the branches that enwrapped him like armor, Anicks showed a faint smile.


    Graizars family secret art.


    Wooden Sky Style.


    Graizars secret technique, capable of manipting nts and trees freely, involved fortifying the nts themselves with aura.


    Of course, its said the power diminishes in ces where nts cannot grow.


    But a skill contracted with a god renders that weakness meaningless.


    Recovery.


    Simply put, regeneration.


    No matter where, nts burgeon into limbs at Anickss behest, thanks to his skill.


    That was the real reason he was able to belong to the Skyborne Generation.


    You said to use a weapon.


    With a bleak smile, Kraush revealed something he had kept concealed behind his back.


    Seeing it, Anickss eyes trembled for the first time.


    What Kraush had in hand was a branch, one torn from Anickss own tree.


    Using the ck Hood, Kraush had stolen a branch.


    Your tree is rather useful.


    Kraush took a sword-fighting stance with the long branch the size of a longsword.


    Anicks forced out a hollowugh.


    I really dont understand what you can do with that.


    While Anicks said that, there seemed to be a twisted smile circting on his ufortable face.


    Then, lets see what you can do with my branch.


    In that instant, branches started pouring out from behind Anicks.


    Branchesden with aura sharp like awls, so solid they could pierce through the marble floor.


    Kraush dashed about, dodging the wooden awls raining down upon him.


    Although it seemed like the wooden awls were scattered aimlessly, each one was controlled by Anicks.


    Kraush, who had been attached to Anicks throughout their time in the Skyborne Generation, knew him too well.


    In a way, Kraush was like Anickss natural predator.


    Nobody knew Anicks as well as Kraush.


    Huh?


    As Kraush dodged all the wooden awls, gradually advancing towards him, Anicks showed a baffled reaction.


    It was as if Kraush knew exactly where each attack wouldnd.


    But even so, Kraush didnt feel overwhelmingly powerful.


    To Anicks, the energy he felt from Kraush seemed at most ordinary.


    It feels like squeezing out a limit.


    Even now, Kraush was gasping for air as though even avoiding the wooden awls was strenuous.


    A sign that, even understanding with his mind, his body couldnt keep up.


    Could it be a divine eye opened?


    Anicks thought of the legendary divine eye but then scoffed.


    Maybe Charlotte could have that.


    It would be unimaginable for someone called the half-penny of Balheim to open such a thing.


    Anicks.


    Amid the wooden awls, not far away, Kraush walked through with a mockingugh.


    Still distracted by Charlotte, are we?


    Twitch.


    Anickss eyebrows twitched.


    Kraushsment touched a deep inner nerve in Anicks.


    After overlooking you so many times.


    With those words, Anicks raised his hand.


    Looks like you need to fix that mouth of yours.


    Then a different energy from aura seeped from his hand.


    The tree behind him suddenly burst with thousands of leaves.


    Through the marble floor, giant roots were exposed, piercing upwards.


    Atop the overwhelminglyrge tree, fitting to be called a World Tree, appeared human-like arms formed from the branches.


    Wooden Sky Style.


    Fifth Forms.


    Wooden Sky Giant.


    The giant was a creation from the secret art passed down through the Graizar family.


    The shadow cast by the giant filled the entire terrace of the Arayong Pavilion.


    Youd better be more careful next time.


    Underneath the immense giant, where any ordinary person would fall to their knees,


    Anicks, as if dering the end to Kraush, said and swung his hand down.


    Finally, the vast fist came crashing down towards Kraush.


    Anicks!


    Elfin, Anickss subordinate, kicked open the terrace door moments toote, shouting out.


    If Kraush took a direct hit from that punch, it would be irreversible.


    But it was already toote.


    The giant fistrge enough to shatter the Arayong Pavilion was inches away from Kraushs face.


    Looking at the oing fist, Kraush lifted the branch above his head.


    In the secret library of Green Pine Hall, there exists the thinnest of martial arts manuals.


    Theres a simple reason why this manual is so thin.


    The person who wrote the manual had only managed to create one single martial art in his lifetime.


    The half-penny of Balheim, utterly void of innate talent.


    Having no talent, he had dedicated himself only to the basics of swordsmanship, repeatedly practicing only the downstroke his entire life.


    A pure downstroke void of any fancy techniques.


    Over and over, he swung down hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, even millions of times.


    By the time his life surpassed eighty, the sword he swung shattered.


    The sword couldnt withstand his downstroke.


    But at that point, he no longer needed a sword.


    The sword became him, and he became the sword.


    He reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship called the unity of sword and self with only his downstroke.


    From that day, there was no one in the world who could withstand his downstroke.


    Thest martial arts manual he wrote in his lifetime was a very short one, listing only the simple technique of downstroke.


    Despite its brevity, the technique written was in a realm unreachable by mere martial arts.


    With his eyes closed in tranquility, Kraush raised the branch overhead.


    He forgot all surrounding noises and presences.


    Kraush was entirely focused on the single branch in his hand.


    This technique required intense concentration.


    Such concentration that was almost one with all things.


    Most could not master the technique despite having the manual.


    But Kraush was different.


    Ironically, due to past curses, Kraush had been forced into situations analogous to one with all things countless times.


    This allowed him to see into his inner self more clearly than anyone else.


    An empty inner self, which held nothing at all.


    Of course, it was empty.


    He had achieved nothing by himself.


    However, that was why.


    Kraush could hold his ancestors technique within his inner self.


    The sword became him, and he became the sword.


    A very simple truth.


    Boommm!


    The Wooden Sky Giant copsed, sound thundering through the area.


    What, whats going on?


    Is something happening outside?


    Such loud noise stirredmotion within the terrace.


    However, the dust caused by the Wooden Sky Giant obstructed the young nobles from seeing the situation.


    Within the dust, Anicks stared ahead with wide eyes.


    It was the Graizar familys secret technique imbued with Recovery that had created the Wooden Sky Giant.


    The Wooden Sky Giant had crumbled from merely a single downstroke.


    The issue was whether this single downstroke could be stopped, even with Anickss full effort.


    Hey.


    Kraushs voice echoed through the dust.


    Unwittingly shaken by his voice, Anicks stepped back.


    Ergh.


    But he felt ashamed for recoiling at the mere sound of Kraushs voice.


    Yet, contrary to his feelings, his body was tightly wound up with tension.


    Cold sweat formed beads on his back.


    His adams apple moved up and down as he swallowed.


    Until the dust cleared.


    Locked in suspense, Anicks couldnt move an inch.


    Then, within the settling dust, Kraushs figure began to emerge.


    He tossed the shattered wooden sword onto the ground and spoke up.


    Dont act up in the future.


    A statement truly fitting of him.