Only I Am A Reader

"I did save your portions."

'What perfect timing, as expected of a novel.'

"How caring! As expected of the chicks that I raised!"

Warming up food wasn't a problem with Martial Arts, so the Blade Spirit and the Absolute Spear sat down to share the meal that had almost ended. Nothing seemed different about them, but Leo could tell they were both exhausted.

"Master! What have you been doing for the last week?"

As immersed as she was in the food, Sohee couldn't help asking Cheon Jeong about their disappearance. It was understandable that the Four Pillars would be busy in emergencies like these, but most other powerhouses were staying inside in preparation.

"Not much, we were just doing some redecorations… Munch, this is good."

'Right…'

Just like usual, Cheon Jeong was over-simplifying things. Leo was particularly aware of the heavy job that they had performed over the days, there was no doubt that they were setting up something, but it was definitely not any sort of lodging!

"You will see it for yourself anyway. Enough about us, have you sharpened your blades well enough?"

Cheon Jeong looked at all four of them, but she specifically stared at Yeon and Sohee. After all, they were her responsibility.

"I guess I will be the judge of that. Let's go for a quick round."

Being met with silence until her plate turned empty, the Blade Spirit dragged her two students away. Normally, their training would have ended for the day, but it was obvious that today's schedule was up for a change.

"In that case, what do you say we go for a catch up, Yong?"

The same Gentle Han who told Leo to rest somehow found the motivation to play around with his old student. Although Cheon Yong focused less on the sword these days, he was always raring to go for any battle.

Before Leo knew it, the situation turned awkward as only he and Cheon Chang were left at the table. With both meals done, they just stared at each other for a few minutes before they stood up at the same time.

The senior and junior had both gotten even more used to each other's company after the journey they had, but two years weren't exactly a short time. Their eye conversation had gotten rusty. Still, it wasn't something that exchanging a few rounds couldn't fix!

The two quickly found themselves back at the enclosed stage that they used after Leo had returned from the Mount Hua Sword Conference. On his way, Leo made sure to pick up his stuff in preparation for the battle that he was actually looking forward to…

Others may not understand the path that he wanted to embark on, but Cheon Jeong was different! The senior brother who saw his master's unconventional greatness knew better than to mock his junior brother's uniqueness.

"I hope you are ready, senior brother."

Beating the Absolute Spear who had long renounced his identity as a mirror wasn't possible. However, Leo was incredibly excited about trying out the full range of his remodeled fighting style!

Only his sword and spear were supposed to flow together, but Leo wanted to do more. The halberd, the bow, the staff… Even if he had to break the flow, he wanted to change weapons to suit his surroundings. From everything he learned to this moment, only something like that truly fitted the battlefield he was about to join!

"Show me what you got, junior brother."

`~~~`~~~`~~~`

The chaos that had barely subsided as Martial Artists got busy preparing for the upcoming war broke out once again. A great prelude had just taken place!

Out of nowhere, four great figures had appeared in all four directions with the predicted location of the Demon Lord's descent as the center, exuding unbearable pressure.

"Watch out!"

Although they made sure to fire a few warning shots to get those in the area to evacuate, a large number of Martial Artists were struck with fear as they observed what the figures intended to do from safety…

Thud!

A Grave of swords, a Supreme Fist, an Unavoidable Arrow, and most importantly… An Absolute Spear! All of these descended on the land, leaving nothing in the shape that it once was!

Terraforming! That was the only way someone could describe the process that happened in front of their eyes. Only, the four figures weren't changing the land into something they could live in. They were changing it into the battlefield most suitable for the largest group battle of the century.

The true powerhouses had stayed away from the battle of cannon fodder as their effort would be wasted in comparison to the result. However, the same couldn't be said about environmental damage. The stronger Martial Artists' capacity for destruction of the surrounding was off the chart!

"What was that?!"

Those who were paralyzed by fear first thought that the people responsible were showing off their capabilities as a visible threat to the world. However, upon seeing the results of their impressive work that lasted for a few days, they couldn't help dropping their jaws.

Strategists usually made plans based on the number of allies and enemies and the available terrain, but the four powerhouses were doing the exact opposite, they were transforming the terrain to fit their strategy. The untouched land that could be used to either side's advantage was replaced by a stage that could be fully exploited by the owner!

Although no clear identity was revealed this time, most fingers pointed at the mysterious abyss that kept throwing out more and more surprises as of late. Another touch of fear was added once again thanks to the impression, but the more concerned ones could tell how invested the Society was in this last anti-monster movement…

'They must be the key to solving this puzzle.'

At the very least, to Geochin who had a much bigger dream beyond surviving this early end, the Heavenly Strength Society was proving its great use to his plan. As long as everything fell into place, he would finally be able to accomplish his goal in the end…