Slow. Fast!
The so called ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ weren’t purely about ‘speed’; it was about a higher level of understanding. For example, although Miller’s attack seemed to be slow, in actuality, it wasn’t the slightest bit slower than Linley’s ‘Rippling Wind’ technique.
“Miller, take another one of my attacks,” Linley shouted loudly.
Linley and Miller were constantly dodging. With each light tap against the tree leaves, the two could instantly change direction at high speed. Suddenly, the two once again clashed in the air above Mt. Blackraven. Linley’s dreamlike Bloodviolet longsword seemed to encompass both an extremely fast speed as well as an extremely slow tempo, combining these two polar opposites into a single seemingly perfect whole.
“Excellent,” Miller let out a loud shout of surprised joy.
Miller’s longsword suddenly reduced in speed to an extremely low level, as though it weighed ten trillion pounds and could barely move. Linley could sense how extremely slothful the movements of the opponent’s sword had become!
But his Bloodviolet sword remained unable to break through this sword.
“Boom!” The two swords collided.
Linley felt as though he had suddenly been hit at high speed by something weighing ten trillion pounds. His body shuddered and was sent flying against the nearby mountain cliffs, smashing into the heart of the mountain. On the cliffs, a human-shaped tunnel could now be seen.
“Whoosh.” A while later, Linley came flying back out.
Miller was extremely excited. “Linley, your sword art… ‘Slow’ and ‘Fast’? Two completely opposite aspects. This… this…” Miller felt as though a light had gone off inside his mind, as though he had suddenly realized something. Linley was also extremely shocked and delighted as well.
Linley didn’t even care about that line of blood trailing down from the corner of his lips. The only thing he was thinking about was that sword technique his opponent had just used. “Miller defended against my ‘Rippling Wind’ attack using a technique which was as gentle as a breeze. But this technique he just used was extremely powerful, not one whit inferior to Haydson’s ‘Worldbreaker’ technique. If it wasn’t for the fact that I have gained some additional insights into the ‘Throbbing Pulse of the World’, I probably would’ve been severely injured.”
“That sword technique was derived from a variation of the ‘Slow’ aspect of the Laws of the Wind. During that moment, it seemed as though space itself had frozen.” Linley could still clearly remember how he had felt when facing that sword.
That sword had moved so slowly, as though it weighed ten trillion pounds, but space itself seemed to have frozen as well. Linley had clearly sensed that his opponent’s sword was extremely slow, but despite the fact that his own sword was extremely fast, in that moment, it somehow wasn’t faster than his opponent’s.
Miller and Linley both had looks of surprised delight on their face. They smiled, standing there in mid-air.
Recovering from their ponderings, the two looked at each other and grinned. Clearly, both had gained certain insights.
“Linley, I had never imagined that two opposite aspects could actually be used to aid each other… you truly have helped me out.” Miller was a little bit excited. Indeed, in that mysterious mountain village, none of his friends trained in the Laws of the Wind, and thus they were unable to help him.
Linley spoke words of thanks as well. “Miller, I’ve been pondering how to continue analyzing the ‘Slow’ and ‘Fast’ aspect and how to train them. You’ve helped me clearly see how I should go about it as well.”
“As far as my insights into the Laws of the Wind go, I don’t have any deeper insights to show you. Let’s just call a stop to it for now. What do you say?” Linley advised.
Miller pursed his lips. “Linley, don’t be modest. I know… that your true, most powerful attack is with a heavy sword. Supposedly, despite Haydson’s ridiculously strong defense, he was still heavily injured by you. Come. Let me have a try,” Miller said expectantly.
Linley hesitated slightly.
Once the ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’ was used, it would be very dangerous. It might kill him.
“It’s fine. Linley, just come. Let me have a taste of your most powerful attack. My defense is extremely formidable.” Miller laughed confidently.
Seeing how confident the man was and how he had requested Linley repeatedly to attack, Linley nodded. At the same time, Linley had made up his mind that he would executed the Hundred Layered Waves attack of the Profound Truths of the Earth. He wouldn’t go all the way to his limits of 138 Layered Waves. Given the power his opponent had displayed, he should be able to withstand the Hundred Layered Waves.
In the air above Mt. Blackraven, Linley and Miller stood, facing each other. Linley was now wielding the adamantine heavy sword.
“Come,” Miller said with a bit of excitement.
“Miller, be careful.” As he spoke, Linley suddenly charged towards Miller, creating a terrifying sonic boom. Miller just stood there, casually wielding his silvery longsword and slowly waving it in front of himself.
Space once again froze.
Linley’s adamantine heavy sword agilely and lightly smashed downwards. A silvery longsword that was very light, but seemingly weighed ten trillion pounds. An adamantine heavy sword that was very heavy, yet seemed to move very agilely and gracefully. As soon as the adamantine heavy sword drew near that silver longsword, it was caught within the ‘frozen space’.
The two swords intersected!
“Boom!”
Profound Truths of the Earth – Hundred Layered Waves!
What shocked Linley was that when those vibrational waves passed through that ‘frozen space’, it quickly began to weaken in power. By the time it passed through and entered Miller’s body, it had lost more than half of its power.
But despite that…
Miller’s eyes lit up. His entire body suddenly was surrounded by waves of energy, but despite that, a hint of blood still came out from the corner of his lips. He stared at Linley in astonishment. “Linley, your attack truly is bizarre. My defense can be considered a very special one, but your attack…”
When experts did battle, they had to be proficient in speed, defense, and attack. If they were weak in a single area, then they would find themselves in danger.
Miller’s defense was very special as well.
As he circulated the Dragonblood battle-qi in his body, Linley’s wounds rapidly began to heal, but he stared at Miller in astonishment. “Miller, that sword of yours… I keep on having the feeling that it seems to have caused space itself to change.” It was precisely because space had changed that Linley’s vibrational attacks would weaken so much when passing through it.
Miller laughed. “It does indeed cause space to change. I can’t clearly explain it. When you gain insight on this aspect, you will naturally understand it.”
Linley nodded slightly as he returned to his human form.
“Alright, then. Linley, I’m very glad to have met you today and made friends with you. If you ever want to come looking for me, you can come to the southern reaches of the Anarchic Lands. There’s a relatively well-known city there known as ‘Southmount City’. Roughly a hundred kilometers south of Southmount City is a large mountain, and within that mountain there is a small mountain village. I live there.” Miller laughed.
Linley nodded in appreciation. “When I am free, I will definitely go.”
“Several of my good friends, as well as my Lord, live there as well. If you come there and spar, you will improve more quickly as well,” Miller said warmly. “I have some business in the Forest of Darkness. I’ll have to bid you farewell for now.”
After saying his goodbyes to Miller, Linley watched as Miller rapidly flew towards the north, into the endless Forest of Darkness. Then Linley chuckled and, with a leap, flew to a nearby flat stone. He sat down atop of it into the meditative posture, quietly reflecting o
n the insights he had gained on various profound mysteries during that sparring match…
To the north of the Yulan continent was the boundless Northern Sea. North of the Northern Sea was the Arctic Icecap. The Arctic Icecap was extremely vast, several times larger than the entire Yulan continent. However, aside from some powerful magical beasts who lived there, there were virtually no inhabitants. The Arctic Icecap was formed from nothing more than extremely hard ice.
“Whoooooosh.”
Cold wind slashed past the glaciers like icy knives, shearing pieces of ice off. The Arctic Icecap was an extremely cold place, and extremely dangerous. Even powerful warriors would find it very hard to live here. However, this bitter, desolate environment did have a few experts who lived here quietly.
Beneath an iceberg that was tens of thousands of meters high, two experts engaged in battle at high speed. One of them was Olivier, with his opponent being a very well-muscled, yet skinny, cruel looking man with short jade hair. The cruel-looking man was using nothing more than a pair of dark golden boxing gloves.
“Whoosh!” Lightshadow flashing, Olivier appeared in the air above the cruel-looking man, then chopped downwards with his sword.
The cruel-looking man dodged this attack, and then immediately viciously kicked out with his leg against Olivier. On the surface of the leg was a clearly visible edge of air, and it chopped against Olivier like a warblade. The blade of air was far more distinct and visible than the one produced by Linley’s ‘Tempos of the Wind’ technique.
“Boom!”
Olivier and his sword were both sent flying by this kick, landing and smashing viciously against the tough, frozen ground. “Boom!” The icy ground split apart, and dozens of enormous cracks appeared. Olivier vomited a mouthful of fresh blood onto the ground.
“Hmph. Olivier, you dare challenge Lord Rutherford? You can’t even beat me. In the Arctic Icecap, you are nothing more than the bottom rung. Train hard,” the cruel-looking man said coldly. The cruel-looking man then flew into the skies at high speed, disappearing into that enormous iceberg that was tens of thousands of meters high.
Olivier coughed once, then stood up. Staring upwards at the iceberg, he said, “Next time, I will definitely defeat you.” And then, Olivier’s body flickered, then disappeared from the snowy land.
Part II
Baruch
51
Delia and Linley
“Whoooosh.” The desolate cold wind blew across the world, bringing countless snowflakes to cover it.
Delia, wearing a white fur robe, was standing quietly in front of a window, staring at the outside world. Behind her were two magical beasts. One was the Worldbear, Hatton. The other was the Wildthunder Stormhawk, Parry. Neither of the two beasts made a sound.
A sigh escaped from Delia’s lips.
“Father, mother…” A bitter smile was on Delia’s face. She really hadn’t expected her parents to deceive her. They had told her that her grandmother was seriously ill, but after she raced home on the back of the Wildthunder Stormhawk, she had discovered that her grandmother was quite healthy.
That very first night back…
Delia had angrily asked her parents, “Father, mother, why did you two lie to me to get me home?”
Delia had originally intended to stay with Linley.
Delia’s father, Dylla Leon, had looked at Delia and had asked her, “Delia, have you fallen for that Dragonblood Warrior, Linley? Ever since you first returned those many years ago, you refused to accept any other boys. Was it because of him?”
Delia had been very surprised. She hadn’t told her parents.
“How did you know?” Delia had immediately asked.
Her mother had sighed. “Delia, why didn’t you tell us how you felt? It was your master, Master Longhaus, who informed us upon returning to the Empire. He told us to prepare for the wedding between you and Linley.”
The previously furious Delia had suddenly become bashful.
Her parents had glanced at each other, shaking their heads and smiling bitterly. Her father, Dylla, had said seriously, “My beloved daughter, I must solemnly tell you that it is impossible for you and Linley to be together.”
“What?” Delia had stared at her father.
Her father had said seriously, “Delia, Linley’s younger brother is the husband of the Seventh Imperial Princess of the O’Brien Empire. Without question, Linley is a Saint belonging to the O’Brien Empire. But you should understand the state of the relationship between our Yulan Empire and the O’Brien Empire.”
“True, both our Yulan Empire and the O’Brien Empire are two mighty Empires who are enemies to each other, but what does that have to do with Linley?”
Delia had been very upset. “Could it be that you believe, father, that me being with Linley would impact the clan?”
“Yes.”
Dylla Leon had nodded. “If a clan were to have a Saint, that clan would rise up and flourish. If you and Linley were to marry… then what happens if the Yulan Empire and the O’Brien Empire were to engage in a large-scale war? Our Empire would no longer dare to have much faith in the Leon clan.”
Delia immediately had become enraged.
Her father’s explanation had seemed laughable.
“Delia, think about it. If you were the Emperor and you discovered that the daughter of one of your largest clans had gotten married to a Saint on the enemy’s side, wouldn’t you be concerned that this clan would betray him?” Dylla Leon had said seriously.
Delia had been stunned.
There was nothing she could say, because there were historical precedents for this.
In the past, a daughter of a noble clan in the Rohault Empire had married the king of one of the kingdoms of the great plains to the far east. Afterwards, her entire clan had rebelled and joined the side of that great plains kingdom.
Don’t think that the Rohault Empire was necessarily far stronger than the kingdoms of the great plains.
The great plains to the far east had three kingdoms in total.
The people of the great plains were extremely violent, and each of them were born warriors. Although in terms of population, they were far lower in number than the Rohault Empire and the Rhine Empire, these three major kingdoms had done battle with the two Empires for countless years without being at any disadvantage.
“Father, Linley and I…” Delia had begun to speak.
Dylla Leon had interrupted her. “Delia. You are a smart child. You should understand everything. Our Leon clan has been building ourselves up for a thousand years. That’s why we now have our current status. If you were to marry Linley, even if his Imperial Majesty didn’t actually do anything to our clan, without question… his Imperial Majesty’s faith in our clan would be lessened!”
“Once his faith in us is lessened, the countless descendants of our clan in the military and in the government will find it very hard to be promoted.” Dylla Leon sighed. “Delia, I hope you can consider the interests of the clan.”
“But father, Linley doesn’t belong to the O’Brien Empire. He has gone to the Anarchic Lands,” Delia had hurriedly said.
“The Anarchic Lands?” Dylla Leon had been startled, and Delia’s mother had also stared at her in surprise.
Delia had hurriedly explained, “Yes, father. Linley isn’t attached to the O’Brien Empire. He wants to start his own undertakings in the Anarchic Lands. In the future, he will be part of the Anarchic Lands. Father… the Anarchic Lands and our Empire aren’t enemies, right?”
Dylla had been silent for a moment before nodding slowly.
This was indeed the case. In the entire continent, the only force that was worthy of the Yulan Empire considering it their enemy was the O’Brien Empire.
As for the Anarchic Lands, who would consider these chaotic lands which had several dozen duchies an enemy?
“If Linley truly were to establish himself in the Anarchic Lands, then it wouldn’t be a problem for you to marry him,” Dylla Leon had s
aid slowly. These words had been like heavenly music to Delia’s ears, making her heart instantly calm down.
Dylla Leon had looked at Delia and said solemnly, “My beloved daughter, I must remind you… only when the day comes when Linley is no longer a member of the O’Brien Empire in the eyes of the imperial clan, will you be permitted to be with him. Otherwise, you definitely cannot.”
“Father, I understand.” Delia loved her parents, her grandparents, her older brother, her cousins, and the rest of her family. She didn’t want to break off her relationships to them.
Dylla had nodded. “For now, stay in the imperial capital. Don’t go looking for that Linley.”
Thinking back to that conversation, Delia gently sighed again. Delia understood… Linley was already a Saint and had an unlimited lifespan. As a magus of the seventh rank, she herself would have a long lifespan as well, as she continued to train.
She wasn’t too worried about a year or two.
Staring out of the window towards the north, she saw the large, feather-like snowflakes slowly drift down. The entire world seemed so hazy, and nothing could be clearly seen. But Delia’s gaze seemed to pierce through the walls of reality and see into the distant Anarchic Lands, and see into Blackdirt City…
Outside Blackdirt City, one squad of soldiers after another were running laps on the black dirt, and alongside each squad, there was a military officer constantly shouting, “Faster, faster! Don’t get left behind! Goddamnit, if you get left behind, no breakfast for you!”
On an uplifted area, the fourth of the Barker brothers, Boone, and the fifth, Gates, were clad in just a pair of long pants, their upper bodies bare. They watched the training proceed.
During this period of time, Blackdirt City hadn’t attacked any other cities. They had only been training. The cities around Blackdirt City had all sensed that Blackdirt would pose a threat to them, and their city governors were very nervous. But at the same time, those city governors didn’t dare to attack first either.
Baruch Rising_Book 3 of the Coiling Dragon Saga Page 40