Chapter 801: All The Same Person
As the students, members of the Crimson Crane, those from the Demonic Faction, and even unfamiliar faces stood on the platform, there were murmurs among the crowd below.
Those who had never seen these people or only recognized them by name and appearance started to question what was happening.
However, slowly, like a ripple spreading out, those who had been hurt, those who had been defeated by the people above, began to spread the word.
These were the ones the clans had gone up against. These were the reasons why they were in the sorry state they had arrived in.
The secret battle that had occurred within the Dark Faction, one that not a single person had been aware of.
“Wait, the fact that Murkel isn’t up there… did he really perish? And is it the same for the Moon Shield and Flowing Force Clans? Did both of their Clan Heads perish as well?”
What was confusing was that the main disciples of both those clans were on the platform, and those from within the clans had talked about facing them.
When Ricktor and Mada arrived, the clan wasn’t going down without a fight. Ricktor had to prove himself, and he was able to.
Being a middle-stage warrior and seeing such power in front of his eyes, something had occurred. He fought better than any of the remaining members of his clan.
After a few had been defeated, the rest of the clan submitted. They were fully aware of those who had perished from within.
For Mada, it was more difficult to make his clan accept him. Thankfully, his brother Gunther had also arrived.
Although he didn’t like it, side by side, the two of them fought against those in the clan who rejected their positions. Eventually winning out, Gunther wanted no part in the clan, and with Mada now at the helm, he got his wish.
The others were sent to clans that Amir believed held items that would help them progress their powers-either techniques or artifacts that had been passed down.
The goal was threefold: to get control of the clans in their hands, to gather resources such as coins and martial arts techniques, and lastly, to secure any artifacts they had-all for this day.
As the murmurs continued, Amir believed it was time, and he stepped forward, clearing his throat.
Seeing Amir move forward, the whole courtyard went silent, as they were eager to hear his every word.
“I, as well as the clans around you, sent invitations to every important person in the Dark Faction!” Amir shouted, projecting his voice with Qi so everyone could hear him clearly.
“Today is a very important day for the Dark Faction, for the clans, the kingdoms, and the merchants within the faction. You all are essential to the territory’s success, which is why we have invited you to this important day.”
Some of those listening felt proud of Amir’s words, while others just wanted him to get on with it and tell them what happened to Murkel.
“As you all know, there has been a report passed around after the martial arts tournament.”
“It claimed a disturbance. I can assure you, that part of the report is true. Gavin, Crine, and Murkel are no longer with us.”
“All of these people are no longer part of the Dark Faction. You can interpret my words as you will, but they will not be coming back, and if they do, they will no longer be part of the New Dark Faction.”
The murmurs among the crowd grew louder. Some were interested in what was meant by this New Dark Faction.
Others were scared, thinking that with the clan heads defeated, they were now the most vulnerable to an attack by the Light Faction or the Demonic Faction.
Some of them thought it was time to sell whatever they could and try to move to other continents.
“However, in a strange turn of events, those responsible will be part of the New Dark Faction.”
“The people here have already visited the strongest clans in all of the Dark Faction to demonstrate their power.”
“They are no weaker than the old; in fact, they are even stronger than before. The Dark Faction, Murkel, and his warriors did not fall to the Light or Demonic Faction; they fell to these people here.”
“Ha, how can that be true?” one of the merchants said with his arms folded. The instant he said those words, he felt several heavy eyes, like daggers, pinning him down.
All of the warriors were staring at him, and the heavy weight of their gaze could be felt weighing him down. In an instant, he knew it was true.
“Murkel did cruel things for the progression of his own sake and not that of the faction.”
“He forced all of you to send your strongest pupils to the academy, to force them into a battle of survival of the fittest just to make strong warriors for himself.”
“Yet, what he never suspected was that the strongest warrior of them all would be the one to defeat him.”
The talking among them continued, with more and more of them believing the reports were true-that the Dark Magus had claimed victory. But the Dark Magus… he was from the Demonic Faction.
Amir knew very well that this would be the sentiment. So he had an important announcement to make.
“I wish for you all to turn and welcome the new leader of the Dark Faction,” Amir said, pointing ahead.
When they turned around, they saw a single person walking toward the stage. As he walked, his young body stood out, but his appearance even more so.
Wearing his blazer instead of a uniform, he looked a bit different, but the white hair was a trait that many of them remembered from that day.
“The one known as the Dark Magus, but not only that, the person known as the White Dragon of the Dark Faction, is our new leader!” Amir announced.
Chapter 802: Not Part Of The Plan
The White Dragon was a name familiar to nearly everyone in the Dark Continent for several reasons.
For one, it marked the start of an upset at the academy, a battle between unknowns against the main disciples. A turnaround that should never have occurred, yet it did.
Due to the student’s white hair, they gave him a powerful nickname that spread widely, not just through the Dark Faction territory but throughout all of Pagna.
The whole point of giving such names was to create legends, and the person who decided to spread the name was Murkel.
They were the ones who wanted the White Dragon to be known, so everyone present was aware of the White Dragon but was struck with confusion.
“Did Amir just say the Dark Magus and the White Dragon? Does that mean he’s stating that both of these people are the same?”
“But the Dark Magus is in the Demonic Continent; he’s married to the Neverfall Clan’s Daughter…” Slowly, a group of them turned their heads, and some recognized Rayna as well. Things were falling into place, but how everything came to be still seemed impossible.
How could such a person be in two places at once? Not only that, it still didn’t make any sense. Raze Cromwell, a student at the academy, was just that—a student-not too long ago.
Sure, his feats against the main disciple were impressive, but how could one have the strength to take out Murkel?
The man had a legend of his own-the legend of the strongest in all of Pagna, the closest to reaching the Divine Realm.
“There was an assessment among the Dark Academy students; I’m sure many of you are aware since we obtained your permission,” Amir continued.
“In the assessment, there was one student who managed to escape. During his escape, he met the Crimson Crane in the Demonic Faction.”
“That was where he continued to grow in strength and found reliable people by his side to help him.”
“But the White Dragon, as well as the one known as the Dark Magus, swore to come back. For there were those he couldn’t leave behind.”
Amir then went ahead and tapped the shoulders of Safa and Simyon, pushing them forward.
Liam, although his shoulder wasn’t pushed, decided to step ahead as well, his cheeks a little rosy.
“He gained a massive amount of strength, and during the tournament, he competed as an undercover student of the Demonic Faction.
“He was the one who used a powerful artifact to send everyone away so he could face Murkel face to face!”
Amir had cleared the details with Raze beforehand, deciding what would be said and what wouldn’t be.
Raze didn’t mind anymore. With the power of the Dark Faction in his hands, he was ready to let everyone know that he was the Dark Magus.
And for those who thought there was a link between the names, he was ready for them to come after him.
On top of that, Amir emphasized that this was important. People loved a good story, and it was a good story of how Raze rose up to take control of the Dark Faction.
The thing was, it wasn’t far from the truth either, and the easiest stories to convince or tell people were the ones that had truth in them.
Raze continued to walk down, his face kept straight. It was a strange feeling, walking with all the people staring at him.
‘How can the Grand Magus like this feeling?’ Raze thought. ‘People that you don’t even know, parading you, gawking at you. I will never understand them.’
The only reason Raze agreed to this was because of Amir, wishing to make his entrance as big and grand as possible.
Finally, Raze managed to reach the end of the platform. Everyone else stepped back, allowing him to stand at the front.
“It is your turn to speak as the new leader of the Dark Faction,” Amir said, stepping back as well.
“I did not want this position,” were the first words from Raze’s mouth. “But due to the situation, I was forced to take it.”
“There are those out there who threaten our lives. The Light Faction, although they speak of righteousness, the first time we turn our backs, they will be ready to strike.”
“The Demonic Faction always wishes to prove that they are the strongest. We are just a pebble in their way.”
“I was born in the Dark Faction. This was my whole world, and I found people who helped me through it.”
“Murkel was another person who wished to harm what I built up, so I grew stronger to protect
it.”
“I grew stronger so no one can take the things I care about, the things that are important to me.”
“I will never be weak enough to let anyone take anything from me.”
“And I have a warning to everyone out there, no matter where they are from or what planet they are from.”
“If they dare try to take something from me, then I will pay back every last thing tenfold!” Raze said with anger in his voice.
It was so vicious that even his allies were surprised by the strength in his words.
“Now that the Dark Faction is under me, it is mine as well, so anyone who dares to touch it, I will make sure they regret every last bit of it.”
The words weren’t what one would expect from a student, of all things, and all of them could feel the anger.
In Pagna, the world of warriors, it was a tough place for them all. Nearly all of them had lost something, so they could relate to it.
“I understand that it’s strange having me in this position and accepting me. So I have a
proposal for you.”
“Anyone who believes I shouldn’t be leader is free to challenge me for the position of the Dark Faction Leader, and I will face them alone,” Raze declared.
Amir turned around to look at the others, because this wasn’t part of the plan.
Chapter 803: The Last Clan
Amir had carefully gone through everything with Raze. With everything set, all Raze had to do was ask the clans if they were willing to accept him as the next leader.
Due to the conditions set by everyone beforehand, they would get all the clans present to vote, all except for one which they hadn’t touched. Regardless, it would have been too many to just ignore. With all the warrior clans accepting, the merchants, the kingdoms, and everyone else in between wouldn’t have been able to do anything.
It should have been simple, so why was Raze doing this now, of all times?
Raze looked down at the ground, at all the people. He could see their unaccepting looks.
It wasn’t the same as when they all looked at Murkel, or how people looked at the Grand Magus in their position, and there had to be a reason why.
The answer was respect. Those who rose to a position or proved their worth had the respect of others, and with respect, there was less chance of people trying to topple you.
However, when people are chosen because of nepotism, or when they believe someone isn’t worthy of their place or would be better for the people, there will always be those trying to topple you.
After all, humans are selfish beings, and they need to see a reason why this will benefit them. “I have someone who will challenge you!” a merchant said, raising his hand.
The merchant was dressed in fine, soft silk, an array of different colors. By his side, he had a small squad of guards, all wearing specially crafted armor.
Armor designed to be light while offering the most protection.
“They are Wanderer warriors, but they have also always been my guards,” the merchant said. “I have sent them to do business in the Demonic Faction and Light Faction, and these Wanderers have stopped all sorts from attacking them.”
“As a merchant, I have heard of your amazing products. My request is that during this fight, you not use any of the Dark Magus materials.”
“After all, whatever can be made can be replicated, so if you used such items to best Murkel, then at some point there will be those who can match the same strength you produce. And then what?”
Raze agreed and jumped down from his position onto the courtyard. He pulled out the ghost blade from his side as well.
The warriors and those naturally watching decided to step off to the side, giving a natural area for them to fight.
The merchant then selected one of his guards, a middle-aged man with a glaive, who walked out and spun it in the air before hitting the ground and cracking the floor beneath.
The clans watching were quite impressed by what they could see. The Qi emitting from the glaive was clearly that of a middle-stage warrior.
The two of them were now around five meters away from each other.
“Brace yourself,” Raze said.
“What?” the warrior said with a confused look. It was then that he saw Raze striking from below, swinging his sword from the ground upward, even though the two of them weren’t close to each other.
Before the man knew it, he suddenly saw everyone below him growing smaller. His feet had been lifted off the ground, and he was in the air.
“I’m flying…” the man said.
Raze then appeared right in front of him and swung his sword down, hitting the glaive. The man shot to the floor, crashing and breaking the floor beneath, sending out a shockwave of dust to the others.
Raze then slowly landed on the ground and placed his sword away as the fight was clearly
over.
The crowd watching was stunned into silence, and even the Crimson Crane members were quite surprised.
“Hey, that guy was a middle-stage warrior, right? And he managed to beat him so quickly?” Kizer asked.
“Yeah, it makes no sense. I know Raze went up against Murkel, but even in his attack, he had used all the Descending Steps,” Froma said. “On top of that, he used techniques. Here, he just swung his sword around.”
What the others were more surprised about was how Raze had managed to chuck his opponent into the air without his sword even touching the other person.
“Did you see that?”
“Yeah, he swung his sword, and then the guy was lifted into the air. I could see the current, or was it visual Qi? I’m not really sure.”
Something had happened to Raze’s body in the fight-he could feel it-a change that had occurred from when he woke up.
And he could feel it slightly when he was in Alterian as well. The fact that magic wasn’t leaking out from him as much meant he was no longer a stage 7 warrior, but through the fight, he was now a stage 8 warrior.
Still not at the same level as Murkel or Belil, but they were even high-stage nine warriors. Now, his Qi stage was more comparable to Alba’s.
In the fight just now as well, Raze truly didn’t hold back, as he had also used magic during his
fight.
“Is there anyone else who wishes to test my skill or doesn’t agree with me having this position?” Raze asked.
After seeing how easily he had beaten a middle-stage warrior, there were quite a few who were now more accepting.
“What a load of crap!” another person said, walking forward. This man looked more like a knight, with his body filled with silver armor.
He wasn’t a Pagna warrior but someone from one of the kingdoms.
“Obviously, you and the merchant set up this whole thing so you could look really good. How could someone fall so easily?” the knight said as he continued to walk toward Raze, and just when he was close enough…
Raze threw his fist right into the knight’s stomach, breaking through the iron armor. The impact caused spit and vomit to fall out of his mouth.
Raze moved his hand, and the knight fell to the floor right there and then.
“Is there anyone else who thinks this is fake?” Raze asked.
Chapter 804: The Scent Of Blood
The kingdoms and empires only hired Pagna warriors to help with certain issues that arose, but there had always been an agreement to keep matters separate between them.
To keep regular people out of the world of Pagna warriors. This, in a way, gave freedom to both tiers of citizens.
Those who accepted themselves as Pagna warriors could face each other and follow the rules of the warrior. Being a warrior meant understanding the risks, and those not wishing to get involved could stay separate.
It wasn’t as if regular people didn’t have things to worry about, and kingdoms, empires, and such continued to fight against each other anyway.
One aspect that the kingdoms were building on was knights. Knights who wore specially crafted armor on their bodies, designed to be impenetrable to a sword.
In many ways, some thought it might be a secret weapon against the Pagna warriors if a fight ever did break out between the two groups.
However, they had witnessed Raze, with his bare hands, tear through the armor with ease. His condensed Qi allowed him to focus on breaking it, and then he held back his strength before hitting the knight in the stomach, causing him to fall to the floor.
Because if he hadn’t held back, his entire arm would have ripped through the knight.
“Is there anyone else who wishes to challenge me?” Raze said. “I will continue to fight, day and night, until every single person here accepts me.”
These were the words of someone who truly believed they were much stronger than everyone there.
If one were to fight several people, they would usually tire, as would their Qi, but Raze was willing to go up against all the Clan Heads present if he had to.
With just those two fights, though, he had convinced the merchants, he had convinced the kingdoms.
Even the clans, although they thought they might be able to take on Raze, the Dark Magus, or the one known as the White Dragon, had accepted him because of the people behind him-all but one clan.
“I’ll challenge you,” a female voice said.
The group of people turned to see who had spoken up, and of all people, it was Samantha Wisheart, the leader of the Tulip Clan, one of the five major clans in the Dark Faction.
She walked forward in a blue icy dress with a split down her long, slender legs. She held a fan to her face as she continued down, eventually stepping out onto the floor.
“In the past, all five of the clans accepted Murkel because he bested us all on his own. Even together, we couldn’t defeat him.
“We needed someone like him to lead the Dark Faction. If anyone weaker than him takes the helm, the Dark Faction will fall.”
Gavin Rocksbored from the MoonShield Clan had fallen at the Martial Arts Tournament. Feebie Dines from the Lethal Bite Clan had fallen due to Raze and the Crimson Crane.
Crine Runn, leader of the Flowing Force Clan, had also fallen at the Martial Arts Tournament. And Murkel was nowhere to be seen, with the strongest in the Erupting Fist Clan perishing. There was only one clan left of the major five, and its leader, Samantha, was still present.
There was an interesting tale well-known in the Tulip Clan, of how three women had conquered it, getting rid of all the men in the clan.
With their power alone, they had taken out the Clan Heads and become one of the major forces in the Dark Faction.
It was the one clan present that looked to have no one injured, and that was on Amir’s orders. Looking to her right, Safa turned to Amir.
“Why didn’t you let us go after the Tulip Clan? It was the only clan you told us to stay away from.
“At the Martial Arts Tournament, Lin and Lulu were defeated, and they were part of the trio that took over the Tulip Clan in the past.”
Amir looked at Samantha for a moment, then finally decided to give an answer.
“I thought she would be more useful,” Amir said. “Originally, with all the clans complying, I thought we wouldn’t have this situation on our hands.”
“If anything, because Murkel forced himself into the position he was in, I believed they might even be accepting of Raze taking his place.”
“I understand it’s hard for anyone to accept a student, though. However, I would have liked when Raze took over the Dark Faction, that there would still be some tools to use.
“In the fights so far, Raze has been able to control his strength to defeat his opponents, but against another main member of the Dark Faction, I don’t think that’s possible.”
“Aren’t you underestimating him?” Dame said. “Raze already took out Murkel, who had bested all of these. He would be able to take out most of the Clan Heads if he were to go up against them on his own.”
“It’s no doubt that he is the strongest among all of us here. Well, there might be one.” Dame was looking at Zon when he said those words. Zon’s limits hadn’t been tested, and the way he defeated his opponents was more convincing than Raze’s.
“You might be right about that, but remember, Raze only beat Murkel because of the special Chalice artifact he used.”
“It was the Divine being that took over his body, which in the end was able to best Murkel.” “Even Raze’s strongest moves in magic weren’t able to defeat him,” Amir answered. “Besides, there’s another thing you’re forgetting. Lulu and Lin, who Murkel brought with him, were considered to have the strength of Clan Heads.
“Yes, it’s true that the three of them took over the Tulip Clan, but did you ever wonder why Samantha was selected as the leader and not them?”
At that moment, as Raze stared, looking at Samantha, a scent had wafted into his nose, a smell he was familiar with, a strong sense of iron, and that’s when a voice had entered his mind along with it.
‘I can smell the scent of blood on her… let me… take over and deal with her for you… you can rest.’ A familiar voice in his mind spoke.
Chapter 805: The Correct Way To Use A Sword
When Raze heard the voice, he felt a stronger sense of familiarity compared to before. He instantly knew it was the voice of the bloody woman, the one he had seen ever since he
learned to use the Life and Death cultivation technique.
It was clear now that something was lingering around him. Safa could see its presence when using her special god eyes, and Raze had felt it too; it even acted on his behalf at times. Sometimes, it had been his saviour without him even knowing it.
Yet, its true goal, or its reason for sticking around with him, was still unknown to him.
When using the Chalice, it was meant to summon a Divine being. The chalice was always meant to summon someone from above temporarily. It was why it was so much of a gamble for Raze to use such an item. Because it could have been anyone that came from that realm. but instead, Raze realized that the bloody woman had been summoned and was using his body.
He had thought about it-since using the Chalice, he could feel the presence of the bloody woman more than before, but she hadn’t said anything or tried to appear. Raze was still in control of his body.
One thing was clear: whatever was attached to him was most likely a Divine being, which was why the Chalice worked. The world of the Divine was interesting to him, but it wasn’t something he cared about or felt it was his business to deal with.
Raze looked ahead at his opponent, Samantha, one of the main Clan Heads of the Dark Faction.
‘You helped me fight Murkel when it was my only option,’ Raze thought, lifting his hand to his face. ‘But do you really think so little of me? Do you think I’m too weak to go against someone like this?’
Samantha fanned out her fan, placing it in front of her face, then dashed forward and began to swing it widely. Currents in the air appeared, but they weren’t just regular currents.
In response, Raze swung his sword, clashing against the currents, which were as strong as strikes from a real sword.
‘This is interesting Qi; it’s almost like Wind magic is being used,’ Raze thought.
However, it was clear that Samantha was shocked by the outcome. She had somewhat believed that everything so far was a strange trick. After all, she had seen the warrior in front of her and his strength.
It was impossible for someone to achieve in months what would take years. So she fully used the strength of her Qi in her strikes, but Raze was blocking them with ease.
“Let’s see you handle this!” Samantha closed her fan and hurled it, spinning through the air. Her Qi created a beautiful pink display in a circle.
An odd sound came from the fan, screeching and hurting those nearby. Raze, seeing this, raised his sword and struck it with his Demonic Qi.
This time, Raze was being pushed back. He tried to go against the fan, but even with his enhanced Qi and its concentration, he was being pushed back.
“His condensed Qi can only take him so far,” Bargo, the Vice Leader of the Moon Shield Clan, said.
“What are you saying? He’s going to lose this?” Simyon asked. “Raze defeated much tougher opponents than this. Just because he can’t block a hit or loses in a battle of Qi doesn’t mean he’s going to lose.”
Bargo started to laugh.
“You have to remember, we’re both on the same side here. I’m not against Raze, and trust me, I’ve seen what he can do. Like you said, fighting against the Clan Head isn’t no trouble, but he certainly wouldn’t be struggling this much.”
“I think he’s just testing how far he can go with his condensed Qi. You have to remember, he has yet to show a single technique.”
But it wasn’t just a single technique. Raze had reluctantly used his magic in the fight as well. What Bargo declared was right.
Then, Raze used the strength in his arm to deflect the hit to the side while quickly moving out of place. The fan retracted and returned to Samantha’s hand.
“It seems you are nothing special. This is just the start; if you can’t deal with this, you’re not fit to be a leader. How can a no-name with no clan skills or techniques possibly be the head of the Dark Faction?” Samantha declared.
The others on stage were annoyed by this. Samantha had seen nothing he had done, none of his accomplishments or progress. If anyone had witnessed what Raze had done so far, they wouldn’t have dared to say such things.
“With no skills, right? I guess I am always borrowing skills from this world and just repeating them, not making use of my own,” Raze replied. “I do want to change that myself.”
“But you know, there are techniques that the old Dark Faction leader created. I’ve managed to use a few of them in fights so far.”
Dame, Rayna, and Amir knew what techniques he meant the Noctis Clan techniques, which had been incredibly powerful. During the Martial Arts Tournament, a single move had changed the outcome of the fight.
“Yet recently, I realized something while using them-that I had been using the techniques wrong this entire time,” Raze declared as he held up his sword.
Samantha, tired of listening, swung her fan several times, creating more air currents. Raze blocked each of them again, swinging his sword to deflect the hits.
“Are the two moves you did before the only things you can do? If that’s the strongest you have, then this match is over. I’m going to prove to you and that woman that I will never need her help again, and even if she were to face me, I would bring her down myself.”
“Let me show you the correct way to use the Dark Edge Sword Arts!” Raze said.
Chapter 806: The Old Head Returns
The Dark Edge Sword Arts was one of the things in Raze’s arsenal that made him extremely powerful. It was the technique that allowed him to use both his magic and Qi in a special way.
Using one of the techniques while combining it with the Descending Steps was currently his strongest method.
This was where he had been going wrong with using them initially.
Raze’s Qi started to wrap around the Ghost Blade. The special sword reacted to his Qi. As it wrapped around, Raze dashed forward.
Before Raze could do anything, Samantha threw her fan again, aiming to hit the sword.
Rather than hitting it directly, Raze quickly moved to the side, pushing himself away with a little help from his Wind magic.
‘Not so obvious in front of all these people, but just enough to ease me into it.’
Right after, Raze dashed in again, using the fourth Descending Step, explosive in power.
The fan had returned to Samantha’s hand, and she was ready to strike at Raze when she could see the sword.
“That technique, I’m familiar with it. Did you think I wouldn’t know what it was?” Samantha said.
Raze’s sword clashed with Samantha’s fan in the air, but the Qi around the sword was still wrapping around and moving as if it were alive.
“You have no idea about the Dark Faction’s history, do you? You think just because you know how to use the Noctis Clan’s techniques that you can win this fight?” Samantha asked. “We killed so many of them; we hunted every single one down. We’ve fought against these techniques numerous times.”
The bystanders listening to this were shocked. They knew the Noctis Clan was the one created by the founder of the Dark Faction.
The founder who had disappeared. After that, the clan itself was being eliminated. Members who appeared were dying.
No one had suspected foul play, and now, right in the open, they were learning that fact from Samantha.
“You know, I’ve lived long enough to know what those actions represent!” Raze said as he pushed further, enhancing his Qi even more.
Samantha didn’t realize that Raze had become a stage 8 warrior, with Qi equivalent to the Clan Heads.
So he could now maintain the current position for a while.
“It’s the actions of someone who’s scared,” Raze claimed.
“Scared? Ha! Lived long enough? You’re nothing but a child!” Samantha lifted her fan and was ready to strike again, but before it could hit, Raze moved his hand, pushing it away with his Wind magic.
Then with his sword, he swung it, wrapping it in a way that made it feel like it was going around her body.
“The first formation, Shadow Bind,” Raze said.
After the sword left her body, strange Qi could be seen wrapped around Samantha, making it harder for her to move.
Those who still remembered the Noctis Clan from the past could see it was an exact replica of the move that had been used.
Right after, Raze didn’t stop as he lifted his sword above his head, and with it, the Qi that had gathered around his sword quickly encased the weapon.
“The second formation, Eclipse Strike!” Raze swung the sword down, and a large strike came right toward Samantha.
Due to her being restricted by the first formation’s attack, she was finding it difficult to break free. Just before the attack hit, she amplified her Qi and managed to somewhat break out.
She lifted her fan in the air and swung it down using all the power she could. The attack pushed her far back, destroying the flooring around her and leaving her arms heavily hurt.
‘I’m not using magic in these attacks, but she’s still able to block it. She is a Clan Head, after all, and this proves that,’ Raze thought.
However, the Qi energy from the Eclipse Strike, which had broken out, was lingering in the air at that point.
“The third formation, Nightmare Veil Formation.”
A heavy mist covered Raze’s sword and the areas surrounding Samantha. As Raze swung his sword through the mist and out of his weapon, solid objects that looked like creatures began to appear.
Since it was still Qi, Samantha had no choice but to try and strike back. She swung her fan rapidly as she struck at all those that came close to her.
She started to remember the fight from the Tulip Clan—the number of people she had to cut down to get out of the situation she was in.
While the images of the beasts from the Nightmare Veil Formation were being destroyed, the Qi was all coming back to the bottom of Raze’s weapon.
‘The movements, the techniques of the Dark Edge Sword Arts. Each one of them was so individually strong I always thought of them as separate attacks to be enhanced with other things.
‘But I could feel it, something was missing, and in the books, there was a hint in how the techniques formed, how they were meant to be used.’
‘Just like the Descending Steps, there is a reason why the formations are numbered—because they’re meant to be performed one after the other.’
‘Using the Qi that lingers from the attack makes it less of a burden on the user. Shadow Bind keeps the user still, the Eclipse Strike delivers a powerful attack from the front.’
‘The dispersal of the Qi is then used to create nightmares for the user. If someone could survive all eight forms of the formation, they had to be a complete monster.’
Right now, Raze was ready to use the fourth.
“The fourth formation, Void Pulse Formation!” He dashed forward, and Samantha felt it—her body was too hurt, she had slowed down considerably from everything that had occurred.
And only just now had she finished attacking the beasts. When she finally turned, she could see a sword had completely gone through her stomach.
“Maybe it’s time we get rid of the old generation and start a new one,” Raze said. “You can rest.”
Standing in the crowd of people, there was one person who was starstruck to the point of being brought to tears.
The old man, the librarian Jiyo.
“Those aren’t replicas of the Noctis Clan, that’s how the techniques are meant to be used. I feel like the old Faction Head has returned!”
Chapter 807: The Last Weed Pulled
—
The sword had pierced right through Samantha’s stomach. There was no way she could heal from a wound like that. When he pulled the sword out, her lifeless body fell to the ground.
The others in the Tulip Clan had anger on their faces and wanted to rush forward before one of the Elders stopped them.
“If Samantha couldn’t stop him, what do you think the rest of you can do?” the Elder said. “Right now, everyone here is accepting him as the new leader, so for our clan to go against him would mean going up against the entire faction and becoming outcasts.”
The clan, which was mostly comprised of women, was upset. It was hard for them to hold back their feelings, and one of them couldn’t help but speak up.
“But did he have to kill her? He could have just beaten her. Even when Murkel became the head of the Dark Faction, he didn’t get rid of the other clan heads!” the woman cried out.
“It’s not his fault,” the Elder said. “At any point, Samantha could have given up the fight.”
“He had long displayed that he had the skills and the right to that seat. Yet she was the one who couldn’t accept him.”
“I believe with what he has shown, he has more right to that seat than anyone.”
The younger clan members and those who weren’t familiar with the Pagna ways didn’t understand, but the discussion among the older members was stirred up, and it was because the Noctis Clan techniques had been used.
“Did you hear what the Clan Leader said? She admitted to killing the Noctis Clan members.”
“I always thought there was something strange about what happened. I mean, the Noctis Clan was quite strong, but they had split up looking for the Clan Head.”
“Who else but the strongest clans in the Dark Faction could do anything to them?”
“So does that mean he’s a descendant of the Noctis Clan, the only survivor who has come back? Maybe that seat was made for him all along.”
If one wasn’t strong enough, they could argue they weren’t fit for the seat of the Dark Faction leader.
But Raze had proved his strength. Still, some would argue that he was an outsider who even used Demonic Qi rather than Dark Qi. At least Murkel used Dark Qi and was from one of the Dark Faction Clans.
Now, though, Raze had a reason to be clear of that by showing the Noctis Clan techniques—the techniques of the Dark Faction founder. There was no one who could deny his position.
Currently, Raze was still standing in the same position as before. Blood was pouring out of Samantha’s body, and not a single person went forward.
They were all wondering just what the student was doing. Well, they even wondered if “student” would be the right term for him now.
In all honesty, though, Raze was just looking at Samantha and reflecting on the fight that had just taken place.
‘I’ve used the formations in succession before, but not like that,’ Raze thought. ‘Using four formations in a row like that before would completely deplete my Qi, but that was because I always used the formations as individual strikes.’
‘I only recently learned of reusing the Qi from each of the strikes to use less Qi. However, there is still an issue with this as well. It seems that Qi can only be used if starting from the first formation.’
‘So if I’m in need of using one of the techniques, it will still use a large amount of Qi, and a lot of times, the Shadow Bind formation, the first formation, doesn’t even work on my opponent.’
Thinking about it more, Raze knew he had a huge reliance on the Noctis Clan skills and needed to try and develop his own skills, but he couldn’t do that without a better understanding of mixing martial arts and magic together.
He wanted to create complete techniques like the Noctis Clan had.
He felt like the best way to do that was to continue to learn the rest of the Noctis Clan techniques inside and out.
The remaining four had been the hardest for him to figure out.
‘Out of the Noctis Clan’s techniques I have yet to learn, there is the fifth formation.’
‘The Phantom Edge Formation. For this one, it seems the trouble I have is with my speed. Even though my Warrior stage has increased, it’s still not something I can pull off.’
‘Due to it being a single technique, there has to be some way to learn to increase my speed for a short term to use this technique.’
‘Then there is the sixth formation, the Dusk Wing Formation. What I don’t understand about this formation is the fact that it’s meant to work without using magic. Since there is always a non-magic version and a magic version.’
‘Maybe if one could use projectile Qi properly, but they state that’s only something a Divine being can do. Is there a reason for that? Or could I just speak to a Divine being?’
Suddenly, Raze was starting to remember that there was a Divine being that had been summoned somewhere on Pagna.
‘The seventh formation, the Abyssal Chant. This formation—I don’t even know where to begin with it… It makes me wish that there were still members of the Noctis Clan alive somewhere.’
‘Then finally, there is the last formation, the Eternal Night Formation. The power to use this technique, it sounds like I would have to have a deeper understanding of the Qi itself.’
‘Somewhat like Murkel had and how he was able to unlock the traits of Dark Qi. I wonder if it’s something I can do with Demonic Qi, and if it can even be used.’
After looking back at all of the techniques, there was something that played on his mind—someone so strong, able to create and use these, how did they go missing? Who was it that was able to even take them out?
“If there are no more contenders, that means everyone is accepting our new leader here!” Amir shouted from the stage. “Everyone, welcome the new Dark Faction leader!”
“We shall proceed with the gifting ceremony!”
“Gifting ceremony?” Raze said.
