Chapter 12 : Cross Wave

"Now, only your skill evaluation remains. According to our official database, you were previously registered as a F-rank SIRE with the passive auxiliary skill 'Real Eye,' correct?"

Aron nodded his head.

The evaluator gestured toward the sprawling, high-tech stadium floor. "What kind of environment or simulation targets do you require to properly demonstrate your skill's evolution?"

Aron's brow furrowed slightly as he pondered the question. If he wanted to show his terrifying sword move, he would definitely need a peak A-rank target.

Before Aron could say a word, the little skeleton on his shoulder spoke up, its jaw clacking sharply. "Release that monster. The one in the deepest confinement of your Association."

The main evaluator's eyes instantly bulged. He stammered in shock, "B-but... that monster is an A-rank peak Vortex Monster! It is not just any ordinary beast..."

Aron's eyes lit up, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Our Archeon Sire Association actually holds an A-rank monster?"

"Hahahaha! And here I was worried that you wouldn't be able to produce a proper target for me. My decision is fixed... I want that monster as my opponent."

The operators and the main evaluator turned pale with terror, completely ready to reject the reckless request. Before they could refuse, Frederick called out from the balcony above, his voice carrying absolute authority.

"If he wants an A-rank target, give it to him. I am still here. I will take action myself if it becomes necessary."

Hearing the guarantee from Frederick, a powerhouse famous throughout the entire country, the staff's anxiety settled down a little. Everyone trusted his absolute strength.

The operators and the main evaluator nodded quickly, swiftly evacuating the arena floor to join the others up on the observation deck.

As soon as they were clear, a massive, transparent energy shield hummed to life, completely sealing off the balcony and separating it from the combat zone below.

Screeeeech! Screeeeech! Screeeeech!

Down in the stadium, three massive, heavy blast doors slowly began to grind open.

From inside the deepest part of the arena, hidden behind the three reinforced doors, a terrifying monster finally emerged into the light.

The monster glared coldly toward Aron and the little skeleton resting on his shoulder.

It was a humanoid creature with two huge, wicked horns protruding from its head. Its entire body, from head to toe, was covered in thick, brownish scales.

Even its face was masked by these scales, though its eyes, nose, and other facial features remained strikingly human-like.

Fixing its gaze on the lone challenger, the beast let out a low, menacing growl that echoed through the stadium.

Aron's smile only widened as he looked at the creature. "So, it's an A-rank Scalyman."

Up on the balcony, Frederick immediately went on high alert, his casual demeanor vanishing instantly.

He knew the terrifying nature of a Scalyman. Their interlocking brownish scales were phenomenally dense, acting as elite natural armor.

'Those scales are virtually impenetrable,' Frederick thought, his energy beginning to surge quietly beneath his skin.

'Only a peak A-rank Sire has the raw power to breach that defense. There's no way I'll let a brilliant future powerhouse of our Dragon Country die a miserable death here.'

He braced himself against the railing, fully prepared to shatter the glass and intercept the beast the second Aron fell into any kind of danger.

Down on the arena floor, Aron remained completely unbothered by the creature's suffocating pressure.

With a calm flick of his wrist, a ripple appeared in the air as he accessed his system space and withdrew his sword, Liuhe.

The sword looked remarkably ordinary, its true nature hidden away as it rested quietly inside its plain white sheath.

Seeing the weapon materialize, Lana leaned forward against the reinforced glass, her eyes wide with shock.

"He... he awakened a sword type skill..." she murmured in utter surprise.

In the SIRE community, sword type skills were held in the highest regard.

They were incredibly rare, highly coveted, and widely feared because every single sword type skill ever recorded possessed the potential for terrifying, unparalleled lethality.

The Scalyman lunged forward, unleashing its full force as its razor-sharp claws ripped through the air with a deafening sound.

SHOOOOOSH!

With a fluid motion, Aron unsheathed his blade. The sky blue blade of the sword instantly caught everyone's attention, radiating the undeniable aura of a peak A-rank weapon.

Up on the balcony, Frederick and the evaluators gasped in absolute surprise. They had never seen a blade so breathtakingly beautiful in their entire lives.

The moment the edge of the sword collided with the Scalyman's hardened claws, bright sparks erupted into the air from the violent friction.

Aron stood his ground flawlessly, unmoving, while the sheer force of the impact forced the massive Scalyman back several steps.

Stumbling back, the monster glared coldly at Aron and let out a furious scream. Aron simply met its gaze, a beautiful, mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Now that you've already attacked me, it would be difficult not to show you one of my own moves," Aron said calmly.

He swung his sword with blinding speed, sending a barrage of terrifying energy slashes directly toward the beast.

Aron's hands moved in a rapid blur, unleashing one strike after another. The consecutive slashes crashed into the Scalyman one by one, overlapping just like a crushing tidal wave.

"Flowing River Sword Technique: Torrential Waves!"

The Scalyman screamed in absolute fury, a piercing "SCREEEEE!" echoing throughout the arena.

Its whole body was covered with bloody wounds. Those strikes had exactly pierced through its armor.

Enraged by the overlapping slashes, it lunged forward blindly, swinging both of its razor-sharp claws in a frenzy of lethal strikes.

But Aron didn't flinch a bit. Utilizing the specialized footwork of the Flowing River Technique, his body became as fluid as water.

He effortlessly slipped through the narrow gaps between the beast's swipes, dodging every single attack with perfect, millimeter precision.

Not only did he evade, but Aron casually counterattacked as he moved, landing several more crisp hits against the creature's dense hide.

Ten minutes blurred past in this exact manner. It was a display of absolute, one-sided dominance over the vortex monster.

Finally, Aron delivered one last stinging strike before gliding backward smoothly, landing gracefully a few meters away from the beast.

The Scalyman was now completely breathless, its massive chest rising and falling as it breathed heavily.

No matter how desperately it had thrown its full weight into killing the human over the last ten minutes, it hadn't been able to touch a single hair on Aron's head.

The skeleton on Aron's shoulder sneered, its jaw clicking in irritation. "Why are you playing around with that fool? Just kill it already."

Aron smiled faintly, keeping his eyes on the beast. "What, you can't even let me enjoy myself for a moment?"

Up on the balcony, Frederick and the rest of the onlookers were completely dumbfounded.

Initially, they thought it was an incredible feat that Aron could survive against a peak A-rank monster for ten whole minutes.

But hearing their casual banter, the terrifying truth finally clicked into everyone's head.

Aron hadn't been struggling at all. He was just playing with it.

When they looked closer, the situation became glaringly obvious. The Scalyman was completely out of breath, while Aron's breathing remained perfectly calm and even, exactly as it had been since the very start of the evaluation. There is not even a single drop of sweat in his face...

Aron grinned at the exhausted monster. "Well, my assistant wants you to die quickly. Sigh! Let's end our fight here, then..."

With those words, he swung his sky blue sword in a series of intricate, complicated arcs. In a mere second, terrifying grid like square sword waves erupted from the blade, hurtling toward the monster.

"Flowing River Sword Move: Cross Waves!"

The terrifying square sword waves slammed directly into the monster. The Scalyman let out a final, agonizing shriek that rattled the stadium walls.

"SCREEEEEEE!"

But within a fraction of a second, its scream was cut brutally short. The grid of pure sword energy tore through the beast, slicing its massive body into multiple clean pieces.

The brownish scales, famed for their near impenetrable density, offered absolutely zero protection against the devastating sword technique. They crumbled into dust along with the rest of the monster.

Up on the observation balcony, Frederick, Lana, and every single staff member gasped in absolute horror.

Their eyes widened to the brink of bursting as they stared at the butchered remains of a peak A-rank vortex monster on the arena floor.

Frederick's grip tightened on the railing so violently that the reinforced metal cracked and deformed under his fingers.

"That sword move..." the veteran powerhouse stammered, his usual composure completely shattered.

"Even I... even I couldn't stop a strike like that. He is only at the Initial stage, yet his destructive output is already at my level."