Chapter 6 ….
The head of the lower training grounds came to see Ikael several times to apologize.
“Master Ikael, it is my fault for failing to properly manage the knights. Please strike me.”
“Even though I said it’s fine.”
Receiving an apology with one’s life was something suitable only for a maniac like Isidor. Ikael had no interest in such things.
Instead, Ikael set a condition.
“Very well, but from now on, when you see me at the lower training grounds, pretend you don’t know me.”
“Eh?”
It was a somewhat absurd order, but the person in charge had no choice but to obey.
‘Good. I can use the lower training grounds for a while. I need a space to train without worrying about anyone watching.’
Right now, Ikael’s mind was filled with other thoughts.
‘Aura.’
The energy that had erupted in the training grounds was undoubtedly an aura. And a very powerful one.
‘But why from the heart?’
Unlike ordinary aura that could be used through the dantian, Ikael’s aura was felt in his heart. Moreover, the aura of Lecret was traditionally a cold, freezing aura. It felt entirely different from the blazing aura Ikael had sensed.
All doubts came to a single conclusion.
‘Desert Dragon, Phkelron.’
It was the power of the desert dragon Phkelron that Ikael had felt as he neared death in his previous life.
He could still vividly recall the image of the dragon wrapped in armor-like bones with burning eyes. When he blinked, it vanished like a mirage in the desert, but the thrill of facing Phkelron remained unforgettable. That same feeling had surged from his heart just yesterday.
‘No doubt about it. This is the aura of the desert dragon Phkelron.’
Ikael clenched his fist tightly.
The only thing known to counter Lecret’s cold freezing aura was the desert aura.
If Ikael’s guess was correct, the power of the desert that had descended over thousands of years was now in his hands.
Night fell.
A deep darkness settled over the bronze castle, which had shone like a well-honed sword in the daylight. The darkness didn’t diminish the castle’s grandeur; rather, it made it even more imposing. The castle’s spires and strong walls looked like knights clad in steel, and the night’s darkness draped over them like a cloak, adding to its majesty.
Amid this scene, which even the forest birds seemed to hush for, there was a single room with a light on. Ikael’s room.
He sat with his eyes closed, a single candle lit beside him. One possibility burned brightly in his mind.
‘It’s not the dantian—I need to accumulate aura in my heart.’
Aura was like an innate constitution. Just as every person’s body was different, so too was the nature and cultivation method of aura.
‘I never thought there would be a method to create an aura circle in the heart.’
Such a method was used only by the Desert King Phkelron, known as the “Desert Aura” cultivation technique. In his previous life, Ikael had once read about the desert aura in ancient desert texts. At the time, it seemed merely legendary, but as long as the desert dragon Phkelron existed, there was no reason the desert aura could not exist.
‘Let’s give it a try.’
Ikael brought his palm close to the candle. The heat stabbed at the palm of the eleven-year-old boy, which bore no calluses or blisters. He stopped just shy of touching the flame. The sensation was scorching.
‘Exactly like this.’
The energy that had surged through his heart earlier felt just as intense and fierce as the flame.
‘Alright. Today I’ll succeed in the aura practice.’
He closed his eyes. Recalling the heat from the candle, he transferred that feeling to his heart. Gradually, he intensified the sensation until the lone candle’s flame grew like a raging storm.
“Hoo—”
‘Focus, focus.’
The flame was still fragile, ready to flicker at the slightest lapse in concentration, but Ikael persisted.
Again and again, he tried. Each time, the candle flickered slightly.
‘Grrr.’
A hot energy began rising from his body. Ikael focused fully on that sensation. At some point, he saw a red shadow overlaying the candle’s afterimage.
‘Desert Dragon Phkelron…’
It felt as if he were looking into Phkelron’s red eyes. At that moment, the candle flared.
“-!”
Ikael reflexively opened his eyes. The candle shot up as if reaching for the ceiling. Heat washed over his face and receded.
Sizzle—
In an instant, the candle had burned itself out. Only traces of melted wax dripped from the candlestick.
“Ah.”
It was a success. Hours had passed without him noticing, and his body was drenched in sweat, but his face was bright.
‘Done.’
Though it was only a handful of aura, he could feel his heart almost ready to explode like gunpowder.
‘Just a handful of aura has this much power.’
Cold sweat ran down his neck, and his clenched fists were slick with it.
‘This is definitely the desert aura.’
The desert aura, used by the Desert King Phkelron, was said to incinerate everything in its path.
‘It’s just a handful now, like a pinch of desert sand, but if it accumulates like the desert itself… if I could ignite all that gunpowder…’
Ikael wondered how strong he could become through aura cultivation.
Keeping the sensation of aura with him, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep. It was already closer to morning than night.
When the sun rose, the maid found Ikael asleep and was shocked.
“Oh my, Master Ikael, your body is like a fireball!”
To the maid, it seemed like a fever, but in reality, the heat had not subsided from carrying the fire energy all night.
“Let him sleep a bit more! He’s weak, after all.”
“Yes. But the candles have burned down so much. Did you leave them on all night?”
“Eleven is still young. Darkness is scary at that age.”
Ikael listened to the maids chatting but ignored them.
‘I must not let anyone know I’m using desert aura.’
As long as he stayed in Lecret Castle, near Kairon, it could never be revealed.
The only thing capable of opposing Lecret was desert aura.
Lecret’s cold, freezing aura would chill blood instantly upon contact, allowing him to dominate the continent and place the emperor under his feet. Lecret’s enhanced physical abilities also stemmed from this freezing aura, designed to survive while containing it.
The creation of the Genesis Sword, Kairon, from Lecret was, in a way, inevitable.
If Ikael mastered desert aura properly, it would mean he could confront Lecret.
‘I will keep growing stronger.’
He would grasp the desert aura in his hands and increase his power. When the time came, he would show the world.
The aura flowing like blood within him was the sword that would pierce and kill Kairon.
Whoosh—
The Nirtan Gorge, located in the desert.
Famous for its treacherous terrain, only sandstorms could safely pass through. The fierce Nirtan tribe acted as guardians.
Yet the Nirtan Gorge, never conquered in a thousand years, now lay at Kairon’s feet.
“Kairon… dare you trample our land?”
The Nirtan chief ground his teeth. Kairon and the desert had a long-standing feud. Though Kairon dominated the continent, the desert never yielded, with the Nirtan at its forefront.
“Kairon Pel Lecret. Today we settle this. Nirtan will never bow to you.”
But now, on the brink of all-out battle, the chief’s son trembled.
“Are you afraid?”
The chief asked. The boy tried to shake his head, but why did he still tremble? His eyes were fixed on Kairon standing atop the gorge. The gorge, like a mother, lay submissive before Kairon. A force overwhelming even nature emanated from him.
“Kairon… they say the author has swordsmanship that can defeat gods and an extra eye on his head to see the future.”
“Hah, that’s just frightening when you’re young.”
The chief scoffed. There were many skilled swordsmen and strategists; Kairon was just one who excelled in both—and in bluffing.
“Fear not. The desert warrior never loses.”
Click—
At that moment, Kairon raised his hand above the gorge.
“Nirtan, hear me. I will release your prisoners—”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think we won’t see through your plan? Don’t try to draw them near the gorge!”
But it wasn’t a lie. The Nirtan prisoners truly ran out in a rush.
“Brother!”
“Father!”
The prisoners called out names in joy. The tribe widened their eyes, ready to meet them.
‘Touching.’
Kairon liked these moments. Counting silently as the prisoners approached, their voices lost in the wind of the gorge:
“Three.” Thirty steps away.
“Two.” Twenty steps away. And…
“One.”
That was the signal.
Paf-paf-paf—!
Fire arrows shot out.
For a moment, the tribe didn’t understand what was happening. Flames erupted from the bodies of the running prisoners.
“Brother!”
“Father!”
The fire arrows of the Kairon Knights pierced through the Nirtan.
Whoosh—
“Ugh, aaaah—”
“Put out the fire!”
“Father! Please hold on!”
“Brother! Don’t die!”
Screams and cries filled the Nirtan Gorge. The tribe embraced the blazing bodies, calling them family.
‘Human attachment.’
Kairon observed calmly the effect it caused. Blood ties, friendship, and fire intertwined to burn the tribe. In battle, the most useless thing was human attachment.
At that moment, a man drew his sword and charged at Kairon.
“Arrgh! Kairon, you fiend! I will cut your head off!”
The Nirtan chief, a man who could kill beasts with his bare hands, looked like a demon. Kairon only smiled once at him.
Whoooosh!
Kairon brought his sword down from above. Darkness fell over the gorge with the brief motion. It was tangible, like a blackened sun.
“What trick is this?!”
But the next moment:
Screech!
“Hyaaah!”
Thud—
Everything touched by the darkness began to collapse: horses, people, and flames. The darkness spread over everything standing.
Thud—
The Nirtan chief, too, was crushed.
“Hyaaah!”
He rolled on the ground, feeling as though a massive planet pressed upon him. The coldness denser than darkness pierced his bones. Each breath felt like death.
It was the power of the ‘Dark Aura,’ wielded only by the Genesis Sword, Kairon.
The chief barely looked up at Kairon and realized:
‘He is above.’
Kairon stood above him, a full gorge’s worth of skill separating them.
‘From the start, he never needed to draw his sword against us.’
The chief could not express surprise or anger.
Boom!
The darkness finally crushed his body. The gorge, once revered like a mother, was now reduced to shattered rocks, barely covering the chief’s corpse.
It was a true hell on earth, created by a single man: Kairon Pel Lecret.
“Hail the Lecret Knights!”
“Hail Master!”
As everyone reveled in victory, a knight brought forward the chief’s son.
“Master, we found someone hiding. What should we do?”
The boy looked young, but his eyes were fierce, as befits a Nirtan descendant.
“I will… kill you! Kairon, my enemy!”
Kairon’s interest sparked briefly. Human attachment could inspire such reckless courage.
Before the knights could punish the boy, Kairon flicked his hand.
Whoosh.
The boy, as if drawn by a magnet, was pulled into Kairon’s grasp.
Crack!
The next moment, Kairon had the boy by the neck.
In the blink of an eye.
“You intend to kill me?”
“Ugh…!”
“Good. If I stab here, you will die.”
Click.
Kairon slightly opened the boy’s breastplate. A strange interest flickered in his eyes.
Tremble.
The boy’s hands shook.
